She is My Mistress
by Knight of L-sama
Summary: Complete! Anna is 24, engaged, and should, by all rights, be happy. Her fiancee is nothing like Izumi, but even tho Anna loves her, her mind keeps returning to Izumi. It's two weeks before the wedding. When they meet again, what will happen? R
1. If you love someone, you'll let them go

A/N: Back from the dead with crosses fingers another short fic. Yes, I know, He is my Master is majorly ecchi and not to be taken at all seriously, but… I feel sorry for the lesbies that are reduced to slapstick comedy. So here's to Anna/Izumi resolution… Kanpai! .n.n.

If you've never seen He is My Master… I don't think you really need to in order to read this. But for those of you who have, this is set around ten years after the events of Yoshitaka and his middle-school maid harem dream…

Note: Every time at the end of a dialogue, if you see no punctuation like "Anna-chan " take that to mean I tried to put in a squiggly and was refused. pout pout meanies.

Disclaimer: No, as much as I'd love to gather a harem and set them free, they are not mine.

She is My Mistress

Ch.1

_"Anna-chan, if you help me rescue my little sister, I'll let you sleep with me tonight!"_

_ "It doesn't matter to me who Anna-chan goes out with, as long as it's not you!"_

_ "You are my brilliant morning star. I devote all my being to you. No matter what anyone else says, I want to have you by my side."_

_ "Anna-chan…"_

"I…zu…mi… san…"

_"Anna-chan!"_

"Izu…mi… san…"

"Anna-chan Wake up, or else I'll have to"

My eyes flew open, images of the past vanishing into the air as I felt a soft, concentrated breeze being blown into my ear.

On reflex, I squealed and clamped a hand over the newly chilled ear. "Who? What…?" Still disoriented, I looked around, not seeing a soul. This room… with its white walls… its single large bed… its vases with blooming flowers… it was smaller than that mansion from my dreams. _Was it only a dream…?_

"Anna-chan"

I heard the voice again, from behind me, and rolled over to look. Doing so made me very aware of the arms that had encircled my waist for who knows how long. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling but…

The woman holding me smiled once she held my gaze, though my vision was still blurry from being freshly awoken. As I studied her features, my memories of the present started to return.

"Kasumi-chan…"

The way she smiled as I tested the name was sign enough that it belonged to her. "You were dreaming of her again, you know. I heard you."

I blinked, trying to reorient myself again. She leaned forward and kissed me before I could really register anything.

"You're so cute when you're half-asleep…" She removed one of her hands from my waist and brought it out from under the blanket so we could both see it. My eyes instantly went to the we- no, it was too plain for that- engagement ring. "Are you getting cold feet on me?"

That was hit me dead-on, right between the eyes.

Oh. I was getting married soon. To Kasumi.

_Not to Izumi…_

_ "If I can't be with Izumi-san, I really will join a convent!"_

I smiled at the memory, but shook it away as I leaned forward, kissing her hand. "Never. You can't control what you dream about, can you?"

Kasumi laughed, snuggling closer to me. "I love you, Anna-chan."

The sentiment was so short, so simple, so endearing. _Why couldn't I ever get Izumi-san to say those words to me…?_

Shaking my head again, I wrapped my own arms around her. "I love you, too."

I couldn't see her face, but the way she slinked up my body to whisper into my ear, like so many mornings previous, I had a feeling she was smiling innocently. "Do you love me enough to cook breakfast today? It's Saturday"

With memories of the past so vivid in my mind, memories of the days I was in love with the idea of eating entrails of some fish or another, memories of how everyone, including my beloved Izumi-san, would get sick if they ate my cooking… I could only laugh now at her enthusiasm. "You cook better than I do, Kasumi-chan…"

She leaned back, pouting before and after she kissed me. "Don't say that! I love your cooking, Anna-chan. You're… creative with the recipes. I like that. And since I have a tough stomach… it's all the easier to love your cooking as much as I love you."

I stared at her for a long moment, before poking her side with a grin. "You're just saying that because you want the hot water for your shower, aren't you?"

She giggled as I tickled her, still finding the concentration to pout. "O-of course not! How can you say that? I wasn't even thinking of taking a shower… especially not alone. I just felt like eating your cooking first thing in the, the-" As I tickled her more, she began to laugh uncontrollably, and I smiled at the cute way her face screwed itself up as tears began to squeeze out of her eyes. "Anna-ch-chan! Stop!"

"Why do you _really_ want me to cook breakfast this morning? Saturdays are _your_ turn to cook." Realizing she couldn't answer through her giggles, I paused in the attack, allowing her to recover.

Wiping her eyes, Kasumi finally admitted, "We don't have much in stock- we're supposed to go grocery shopping today. And you cook better things with leftovers anyway…"

While believable, I was still a little suspicious. Albeit reluctantly, I relented and let her go. "All right, all right… I'll go make breakfast…"

"Uwah! Thank you Anna-chan!" I was already sitting up with my legs over the side of the bed when she tackled me from behind, which made it all too easy for me to note my distinct lack of clothing. Not that I minded. I was just tired still.

Grabbing an oversized T-shirt off the chair, I slipped it on before heading off to our small kitchen. At one point, I glanced back towards Kasumi, if only to see what she was up to, and I saw her curled up amongst the blankets, likely fast asleep.

_So that was it… she just wanted a few more minutes of sleep. She could have just said that…_

I thought back to Izumi-san, back to Mitsuki-chan and Yoshitaka-san too… Reliving the day Yoshitaka-san had freed us from our contracts, not because Izumi-san was intending to leave, or because Pochi had found happiness elsewhere, but because he said, in his usual uncaring, vulgar way,

_"I wanted school-girl maids. You've all graduated, and though I doubt you can find an employer as giving as me, I'm letting you go. I need to find younger girls now…"_

I smiled as I remember asking Izumi-san what she would do, and the way she'd smiled and said she'd stay with Yoshitaka to make sure the 'younger girls' knew what they were getting themselves into.

_Like she tried to do for me._

As I waited for the quail eggs to finish boiling, I looked on the counter, at the single wedding invitation that hadn't been mailed out. _Izumi-san's…_

I smiled a little as I stirred the somehow-purple concoction. I'd thoughtlessly sent one out to Mitsuki-chan, for old-time's sake, and I had told her she could bring a guest when she called to RSVP. _If she finds out that her own sister hadn't received an invite… she'll probably bring her along 'because it would make things fun'… like the old times…_

But there was a reason I hadn't sent out her invitation. There was a _reason_ why I couldn't face her now, walking down the aisle with someone else.

_"If I did that, I would be betraying my love for Izumi-san…"_

I shook my head vigorously, wincing as my movement caused the concoction to bubble and spit. Deciding enough was enough, I turned off the stove and started filtering out some of the purplish liquid.

_Don't think of it that way, Anna you idiot. _Kasumi_ is the one you love now… to continue thinking of _her_ would be betraying your fiancée…_

Fiancée… I remembered my middle-school years, thinking I liked boys like every other girl… until I met Izumi…

_But why… did I adore her so…?_ I frowned as I noticed that the quail egg shells had shed off an inner layer of insulation, giving the bottom of the pot the inky purple hue. _She would knock me down like any common pervert, blackmail and trick me so she could get what she wanted, she would ignore me right up until I did something that made her flustered and hit me…_

_ So why do I still think of her the way I do?_

Kasumi didn't deserve this ambivalence. She loved me for me, bad cooking, puppy-like adoration, and all. When she said romantic words that stole my heart away, she meant it. When she said we could sleep together, she wanted it. When I hugged her… she hugged me back.

_She's perfect for me. So why…?_

As I set breakfast on our table, I looked towards the bed. The lump that was Kasumi was still present. Sighing, I walked back over, calling her name. She didn't move, but I knew she was awake. Kasumi wasn't a heavy sleeper. Nor did she have dreams of the past that kept her from flying back into the world of the waking.

"Kasumi-chan"

I rolled her over so that her face was pointed towards me, with her mouth slightly open and her eyes closed. I sighed softly, smiling, knowing what she was waiting for.

Closing my eyes as I drew nearer, I let my lips fall on hers, neither crushing nor penetrating until I was given permission.

Images of my first, with Izumi, with anybody, flooded my mind then, but the hands that sifted through my hair to grasp my neck and pull me in, saved me.

Unlike Izumi, Kasumi didn't scream when I kissed her. Though she moaned teasingly sometimes.

Unlike Izumi, Kasumi kissed me back, even on the rare occasions that I caught her by surprise. Even if we were having dinner with more straight-laced people.

Unlike Izumi, Kasumi wanted me as much as… no, even more than I wanted her.

Unlike Kasumi, there was another heavy presence in my heart.

"Anna-chan…" I cursed in my mind. She'd noticed. She was intuitive that way. Or I was just like an open book that way. Still, she smiled as her eyes searched mine, for what answer, I didn't dare ask. "If you want to see her that badly… see her. I don't mind… so long as you aren't so distracted on our honeymoon because of it." Kasumi smiled and winked at me. "Resolve your past. Just remember… your future with me is healthier than returning to that life you left behind."

I stared at her for a long time after that. Out of disbelief? Relief? I have no idea. But when I smiled at her, I smiled just for her, kissing her earnestly this time. "I'm sorry, Kasumi-chan…"

"Don't be sorry. Just come back to me."

A/N: And… I'll end it there for now. .n.n. I'm not very good at one-shots… I like drawing things out too much for that. But even still, I hope you enjoy it! You know the drill- you've read, now please review! .n.n.


	2. Old habits die hard even in new times

A/N: Thank you for the reviews. .n.n. With so few fanfics in the He is My Master category, I wasn't sure how often people looked into it… Thanks for stumbling onto my ficcie. .n.n.

OH! I wasn't sure if I put this on the first chapter, but if you've come to the second chapter, you've probably already realized and don't mind: This tis a shoujo-ai fic. Yoshitaka gets what he deserves: none of the lesbie girls. .n.n.

Second alert: I'll be switching whose point of view it is between chapters, but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

Disclaimer: Dun own nothin. Except this computer that I'm using to type this. .n.n. Oh, but I made up a few names for the new maids. Not that I expect them to materialize just yet…

Ch. 2

I jumped, nearly dropping the pile of dishes I was carrying, as my cell phone went off yet again. Growling, I put the dishes in the sink, prepared to give the person some lip once I flipped open my phone…

"HEY y-"

The dull tone met my ears.

Again.

"Dammit! That's the fifth time _this morning_!" Like all the times before, I tried to check the number, but it was hidden. I snapped the phone closed, putting it back in my apron as I returned to the dishes. Though I knew no one was home to hear me, I mumbled, "If you're stalking me, don't be so obvious about it, I mean _seriously. _Prank calls should only go so far. And if I find out it's someone I know and they're getting a kick out of ticking me off…"

I wrung out the sponge, accidentally tearing it in half, like I wanted to do to whoever kept making my phone vibrate.

"And damn that Yoshitaka for making this material so thin... and the apron pockets so close to…"

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. These dishes probably cost some eighteen thousand yen each or something. If I broke any… especially when I was technically just doing this for room and board…

"There should be a limit to how long a landlord can act stupid and petty…"

"Nee-chan? Where are you?"

I looked up at the familiar voice, coming from far, far down the hall most likely. Pressing the intercom button with a soapy finger, I answered, "Ah, Mitsuki? I'm in the kitchen. Washing dishes."

A few minutes later, I heard Mitsuki enter the room. "Reira-chan can handle this much, can't she? When Goshujin-sama isn't home."

"Don't call him that!" I winced as I jerked my hand right off the plate and against the side of the sink in the process of whipping around to glare at my sister. "Don't… He's not our master anymore."

Mitsuki grinned as she propped her elbows on the counter, seemingly content to watch me. "But you're still doing maid work."

"Force of habit!" I growled, trying to rein in my temper some. "It's mindless work. And Reira-chan went out to bring back some groceries. We ran out of milk, among other things."

"Ehhhh… So that's how it is, hmm…?"

I glared half-heartedly at her. She had that smile on her face again. That 'let's make things more interesting by making life hard on my older sister' smile. I sighed, already giving into her whims. "What are you thinking?"

"Yoshitaka-kun is in Kyoto on business, right?"

"Yes."

"He told you to watch the house while he 'bonded' with Emi-chan, right?"

I nearly broke the dish I was holding. "Yes. What's your point?"

"You aren't really doing anything today, are you. For your other job as an idol."

"I'm not an idol anymore. I'm a… a…" I stopped and looked at her, already knowing she was grinning as she watched my cheeks grow redder. "Argh! You know! You're my manager after all!"

"I'm still amazed you can't even say what your occupation is, after three years working at it… What do you tell people on the streets?"

"I _don't_ tell people on the streets!" I knew my face was bright red by now, but I plowed on. "That's the thing with enduring Yoshitaka for so long- I can walk the walk but I can't talk the talk."

"Isn't it normally the other way around?"

"It's all his fault! He reverses reality to his own liking!" I trailed off, grumbling curses about whatever else chose to come to mind then.

After a few minutes passed in silence, I blinked out of my trance and looked at Mitsuki. She had brought out her laptop and pulled up some documents and pictures. I leaned over, knowing but hoping against all odds that I was wrong, and looked.

I was right. I hate being right.

"Oh, Nee-chan, look! Your website popularity went up again! Isn't it gre-"

"It's NOT great!" Fully dissolving into a puddle of embarrassment as I finished washing the last dish, I grumbled, "It's one thing to wear it and get paid for it; it's another to know just how many perverts like watching me…"

Thinking of being watched reminded me of the prank calls.

"Hey, Mitsuki?" I took out my phone and held it out to her. "I've been getting these really annoying calls all morning. But the caller ID won't work. Could you figure out who it is?"

"I could…" Mitsuki looked at the phone in my hand, and I could just see the balance in her head weighing the odds of whether or not it was fun enough to be worth her time. Eventually deciding it was, she took the phone and started playing with it. "Okay, let's see what we have here…"

Leaving it to her, I decided to dry the dishes as well and put them away. _God, why am I so bored?_

Somewhere high above, on a fluffy pink cloud, Pochi's Godfather and hamster mistress played cricket.

"Nee-chan, you were sent a text message from probably the same person. Want me to read it to you?"

I looked up, seeing that she had already read it. Sighing, I nodded. "Better than hanging up on me at least. Go for it."

"'No matter what anyone else says, I want to be by your side. Can we meet at the café across from your lingerie shop?'"

"How many times do I have to say it?! It's not MY shop!" _But that first part sounds familiar… where have I heard it before?_

Mitsuki giggled as I huffed, turning away. _She _would_ find this amusing… _"Want me to accept?"

"What?! Why?!" There is no one in their right mind who would meet their stalker so abruptly like this. Especially after such a creepy text message. _Do they watch me while I work…?_ I shuddered at the thought. "I don't want to pummel a complete stranger in a public place."

"Oh, so you want the stalker to come here? Okay, sending-"

"Wait!"

Mitsuki giggled. "Already sent."

I groaned, cursing Mitsuki's ability to text at the speed of light. At least the dishes were away now. No more chances to break things.

"Aw, they're afraid of coming to the mansion… and they'd like to take you out for a meal."

"I don't take food from strangers." _Why on Earth would I have ever needed to, with Yoshitaka paying for all the food expenses here?_ I left the kitchen to go back to my room, and Mitsuki followed me.

"They insist they're not a stranger. Just… embarrassed."

"Name?"

Mitsuki grinned as she sat on the bed. "What fun would it be if I told you?"

"So you already know."

"I knew even before you asked me."

"So you're calling me stupid."

"When have I _ever_ called you stupid, Nee-chan?"

I chose not to answer that. Sighing, I muttered, "Mitsuki, do you think I should see them?"

"It might be fun."

I rolled my eyes. "That's _not_ what I asked."

"That's what I heard."

Maybe if I was silent long enough, she would answer me honestly.

"Oh, she says it's important. You shouldn't keep her waiting then."

_She…?_

One person, one blast from the past memory, jolted me up to a sitting position.

_It can't be…_

I stared at Mitsuki, and she was still grinning at me. I grabbed the phone.

_But I _have_ her number… I was sure I put it in…_

The screen was blank. I checked the text inbox. None received, none sent.

I glared at Mitsuki. _She's been toying with me the whole time…?!_

She grinned at me. One word. "Gotcha."

I nearly threw my phone at her, but that would have hurt. I couldn't hurt my little sister, no matter _how_ annoying she could get. So I threw my pillow at her instead. She caught it.

"But I wasn't lying about knowing who it was or knowing they needed to talk to you, Nee-chan. Maybe if you go to the café, you'll find them anyway."

"Why would they- she be at the café?" _What _is_ that girl doing these days anyway…? Now that I think about it… I haven't heard from her in a while now…_

Mitsuki just continued to grin. I won't be blamed if it freezes that way. "Even if you don't, isn't it a nice day to go for a walk to the café?"

I looked out the window instinctively. It _was_ a nice day…"But that doesn't mean I want to meet my stalker!"

Mitsuki suddenly whipped out a sheet from her bag. "Would you feel better if I told you you were requested at the shop for later this afternoon…?"

I grabbed the sheet, looking over the fax. After the stunt she had just pulled, I wasn't sure if _this_ wasn't a hoax too.

"I'm not kidding, this time, Nee-chan." But she was still grinning a little. "They said a frequent shopper that kept missing you wanted to see you…"

"The stalker?"

She shrugged, closing her eyes briefly in the motion. "I doubt they'd know the difference, Nee-chan."

Reluctantly, I let the sheet fall to the bed and stood up. "Fine. You coming?"

Mitsuki only grinned brighter. "I'll keep an eye on Reira-chan after she comes back."

"In other words, you're planning on me bumping into my stalker alone?"

"At least it's not a dark alley."

"Thanks. That makes me feel _so_ much better."

As I sifted through my wardrobe, trying to find things Yoshitaka _hadn't_ made perversely short, Mitsuki suggested, "If you dress like it's a date, she might even throw in a free movie."

If there was another pillow nearby, I would have thrown that at her, too. "I have no interest in dating a female stalker!"

"Oh, so a male stalker is fine?"

"No!"

"Then you prefer female stalkers?"

"No! I don't prefer _any_ stalkers!"

"But it's fine, if it's female then, as long as they aren't stalkers?"

"Stop twisting my words around!"

_Why does this feel so familiar…?_

I eventually did choose something resembling date clothing. But only because there was nothing else that fit the weather and was moderately flattering without being too revealing.

Mitsuki wished me luck as I left the mansion, and secretly I wondered what way she meant for me to be lucky in. She wasn't a thirteen year old innocent anymore after all.

_But… is it really her? I haven't seen her in so long…_

I smiled, not truly aware of why.

_It'd be nice to see her… maybe, after this, I'll give her a call. I've been so busy lately it kept slipping my mind…_

The phone remained still the entire trip to the nearby café. It even stayed silent as I ordered some light sandwiches and some tea.

Just to be safe, I set the phone on the table in front of me. Away from my body.

I was sipping my tea when it finally went off, startling me even worse than before in my moment of lowered defenses.

I'd forgotten how horribly loud vibrating phones sounded on solid surfaces.

Still, I gingerly picked it up, trying to keep my voice calm. Maybe the reason they'd been scared off before was because I sounded mad. Well, not sounded. I _had_ been mad.

"Moshi moshi?" Keep it simple… simple…

"A-ah… If it's all right with you, could I join you at your table?"

I turned my head every which way, trying to figure out where she was. The voice was too soft for me to clearly recognize it, but it was definitely female. "I… is this Anna-chan?"

The other end went silent.

Not wanting to scare her off, I added quickly, "If it is, I don't mind at all. Please do."

"… Thank you." The phone went dead in my hand. Sighing, I hung up. Looking at the mess I had made almost spitting out the tea, I at least tried to clean up the spot nearest me with a napkin. Stupid maid habits.

I nearly jumped to the point of short circuiting from lack of energy when two all too familiar arms embraced me at seven o'clock (South-west of direction being faced, in other words).

My hands unconsciously went over to cover the hands wrapped around me… and I took in that familiar scent that I'll never forget… but that I'll never admit aloud to remembering…

_It _is_ her…_

I smiled, trying to return the hug as best as I could. "Long time no see, Anna-chan."

It could have just been me, but I swear I felt a small tear wet my shoulder right then.

A/N: And so ends a second chapter! .n.n. Little things you probably already know:

Goshujin-sama Master

Nee-chan Older sis

Moshi Moshi Standard phone greeting. Equivalent to "Hello?"

Izumi's current job personal lingerie model for a certain lingerie shop, for the sake of discounts without consulting Yoshitaka about it. Also does odd jobs here and there as Mitsuki finds them for her.

And um… yeah! Hope you like it still. .n.n.


	3. After the glass tips, still half full?

A/N: .n.n. I normally don't post so quickly, but I want to make up in advance for not updating for the upcoming week, assuming things go as planned. That, and, well, I have to get it out before the idea dries up inside me. .n.n.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine to own.

Ch. 3.

I took the seat next to her, because I couldn't stand the thought of both being as far as across the table from her, and yet feeling her stare at me every time there was a silence.

I was a bundle of nerves.

But also of joy.

It felt as good to hug her now as it had the last time I had hugged her so long ago.

No, it felt _better._

_ Better than Kasumi?_

I winced at the thought, waving it away. I have to prioritize.

Bowing my head, I intoned, "Izumi-san, I'm really sorry for bothering you today!"

Silence.

And then a small laugh. When I looked up, she was watching me from lidded eyes, one elbow propped on the table. "You know, an hour ago, I would have pummeled whoever kept calling me and hanging up… but now that I know it was you, and you're here… I think I've lost the heart to." Her words were soft, melodious, even bemused and dream-like. "Strange…"

A few moments later, I snapped out of my daze and looked down at my lap. "Ah… I didn't really mean to keep hanging up… My fingers just… I mean… sorry…"

"It's okay. Really. So what have you been up to? You haven't really kept in contact… and what's that number you've been calling me from? It doesn't show up on my phone."

"Ah!" I bobbed my head in apology again. "I forgot! After moving to Holland, I've been using a prepaid card for long distance calls- it's cheaper but I guess the card doesn't register on Japanese phones very well…"

"Holland?" She seemed genuinely surprised. In turn, I was equally surprised if not more so that Anna hadn't once gotten mad at me since I'd sat down. Perhaps the years had mellowed her out… "By any chance… are you getting married, Anna-chan?"

_This is it. The moment of truth._ Weakly, I held up my hand so that she could see the ring.

I squeaked in surprise when she grabbed my hand, probably faster than she had intended, and examined the ring. "Amazing! Look at that… such a nice quality… so who's the lucky lady?"

I stared, half in a daze, looking between her beaming smile and her hand in mine.

_"I don't care who Anna-chan ends up with, as long as it's not YOU."_

I smiled and looked away, slowly taking away my hands. _Idiot.__ What had you been hoping for? Anyone would react like that. Especially Izumi-san. You have no right to expect any more than that._ "Her name is Kasumi. Sawatari Kasumi."

I sensed more than saw Izumi blink. "The same as me…?" She laughed. "What a coincidence. Though I don't think I know anyone in my family by that name."

_But that was what had drawn me to her in the very beginning. But the similarities stopped with the name._

"Hey… Anna-chan?"

I looked up at her.

"Am I invited to your wedding?"

I wanted to blurt out that of course she was, that there was no one else I would rather attend my wedding…

_As my partner…_

I shook my head, ridding myself of the thought.

But she had taken it as an answer to her question. The happiness faded from her voice. Again, only to be expected from an old friend. "Oh. …Okay. Well yeah, I guess it would be kind of awkward, for the both of us… Watching you kiss someone else after you stole my first…"

I blinked and looked at her, not sure what to think. _Is she… jealous? No, that can't be it, not Izumi-san. Does she still resent me for doing that? It was meant to be playful, but I suppose I did go a bit far…_

"But Anna-chan…" She smiled at me, and I thought it was a bit forced. "Congratulations. I'm sure you'll be happy together."

"How are you sure?" I frowned, finding myself being sucked into her wavelengths. "All I said was her name."

She smiled and answered easily. "She has to be good if she agreed to marry you, right?" She laughed and winked. "Even better than me."

A part of me wanted to scream at her, _No! No one could ever be better than you! Izumi-san, don't you see? I still-  
_I cut my own thoughts off. "Are you still with Yoshitaka-san?"

"Hm? Well… yes… AH! Don't get the wrong idea! I'll never marry that perverted ba- ah… I mean I'm staying at the mansion and making sure he doesn't seriously harass the new girls but…"

As she trailed off, I couldn't help but feel confused. Even after all this time… she doesn't want to give me 'the wrong idea'? Is it because she wants to be remembered as a decent person or…? "That happened several years ago though, didn't it? Surely they're used to him by now?"

She sighed tiredly and leaned her head back. "Since you left, he's gone through a set of girls and recently brought in some new ones. It's a neverending cycle…"

"Are you still in debt?"

The question was simple enough. Though I hated the part of me that hoped that she was only staying because of her duty to justice in the world (helping new maids in distress) and debt beyond her control. Not because she actually loved Yoshitaka-san, like everyone else believed.

Wrinkling her nose, but putting on a sheepish smile, she answered, "Only a little bit. I've been more careful recently, and my job brings in enough money to make up for most of my slip-ups."

"Your job…" I could feel my cheeks begin to heat up at the reminder. Keeping in contact with Mitsuki-chan had meant access to her collection of pictures… which meant…

I put my hand to my nose, sure that blood would flow out before long.

At least I wasn't the only one at the table blushing. She mumbled under her breath, "It was Mitsuki's idea…"

"I know," she would never admit to it if it was her idea either, "you look as beautiful as ever, Izumi-san."

She blushed more at that, and I tried my absolute best to keep my hands on my lap. I couldn't let our old relationship, obsessive and unsatisfying, return. I couldn't indulge myself.

_That_ way, at least.

"Izumi-san… are you free today?"

At that, she looked across the street at the shop, which was innocent enough in the front. "Mitsuki said a frequent-shopper wanted to meet me… but that can't have been you, could it? I mean, if you've been in Holland all this time…"

Indignation spurted out before I could stop it. _I'm_ her number one fan. I won't let just anyone meet with her alone. "It wasn't me… but are you sure it's safe? To meet them?"

Izumi smiled a little. "You want to come with me? It's the only thing I was supposed to do today. If you're not busy… we could hang out afterwards. Catch up on things a little more."

If she had said this to me seven years ago, I would have gone to Heaven right there and then.

Cue Pochi's Godfather's hamster mistress fishing. Catching a younger, dazed, Anna.

But now… now that I was engaged…

I couldn't just…

_"Do whatever you like. Just promise me you'll come back in the end. When you're satisfied."_

I smiled nervously. "It wouldn't be a bother to you?"

She leaned forward, putting her hand up as if preparing to whisper something. I indulged and leaned forward to lend her my ear. It sent chills, pleasant chills that I had almost forgotten, to feel her cool breath on my ear.

"Actually, it would be a great help. If it turns out the person I'm meeting wants more than I feel like giving him, you'll bail me out, right?"

A part of me crumbled at that. Of course. I'll always be just an excuse to you, won't I? Nothing for my own merit. Wouldn't I just feel worse if I let her drag me along like this? "Of course I will, Izumi-san."

She smiled at me, and there was a moment when she was pulling back that our noses were mere centimeters from each other. What she confided in me at that moment… almost killed me. In a good way or bad way, I can't be sure.

"To tell you the truth, Anna-chan… I haven't actually thought about you at all in the past several years…" She paused, and then her smile brightened into something of an endearment. "But today, walking here, meeting you again, talking to you again… I realized… I've actually missed you a lot. Life just isn't the same without you. Even if everyone else is still hanging around the neighborhood."

_"No matter what anyone else says… I always want to be beside you…"_

It occurred to me then, perhaps for the first time, something I should have considered before.

When she had said that, so long ago, where did she get it from? It couldn't have been a cheap soap opera, like Yoshitaka had, or even a half-hearted rambling of things that sounded good like I had done…

So what if it had…

What if…

At the time…

"A-anna-chan?"

… She'd been saying what was in her heart… even if her mind wanted to deny it?

It wasn't until I felt her hand on my cheek, brushing away my tears, that I realized I had started crying.

Why do I feel so sad… to be filled with hope?

A/N: .n.n. Hope you enjoyed this segment as well. Who will Anna-chan end up with? Fufufufu… well, you can probably tell by now who I'm rooting for, but the scenes that unfold are beyond my control. It could just be that I'm slow, but it wasn't until I wrote it that I realized what Anna had… about the idea that what Izumi said wasn't just a joke either, but her subconscious feelings… .n.n. God I love anime, don't you? It's just pictures and a script, but at the same time, after all is said and done… it becomes so much more. Then you add fanfics and speculations. .n.n.

Okay then, toodles! See you in the next installment!


	4. Fear of the Unknown is worse within self

A/N: -does a weird little dance- Moving right along… -wonders what you would call Anna in Izumi's POV… in the past…-

Disclaimer: I own nothing but that which I do own.

Ch. 4.

"Are you sure you're all right?" I looked both ways before beginning to lead us across the street, concentrating on Anna.

She smiled up at me, assured me that she was fine, but something told me she still wanted to cry a little.

I quickly tried to think of something that would cheer her up, and it seemed the answer was right in front of my eyes. "You know, I get discounts on all the pieces I've personally modeled in. Do you want one? To bring home with you."

As I watched her descend into a heavy blush, I bit my lip. All right. So maybe that wasn't the smartest move to offer my engaged ex-fellow-maid and ex-stalker. I considered retracting the offer, but she spoke up with a bit of a spark in her eyes. "Could I? Kasumi is actually a bit of a… lingerie fanatic. I swear she's obsessed with dressing me up in the latest thing she buys. It'd be nice to choose something myself for a change. Have you been doing this long?"

I smiled as I opened the door for her, giving her a quick once-over. _The last few years have been good to her… she's definitely finished filling out… I wonder if we're the same size? _"I wouldn't have offered if you couldn't. I've been with them for about three years now, I guess, so they don't mind. I actually have more of a discount now than when I first started. I'm not quite sure what to do with all of it, so I let friends in on my discount." I paused, and then laughed. "Lingerie fanatic? You mean you've found a female version of Yoshitaka?"

"No!" Anna frowned, flustered but indignant as well. Oops, I guess I hit a sore spot. "I didn't mean it like that! Kasumi is… Kasumi is… she's a lot gentler about it… and since I do own things other than lingerie, she always leaves open the option of not wearing it to bed…"

I nodded understandingly as I watched Anna's eyes wander around the shop. I then stopped and went over her words again, realizing that she could have also implied that there were nights when she didn't wear _anything_ to bed…

"Izumi-san?"

Startled, I looked at her, albeit a little nervously. "W-what?"

"You're blushing… was it something I said? Or because of where we are?"

I looked around, and I realized we'd wandered to the BDSM section, the place I tried hard to avoid unless for a very good reason. The memories of everyone rushing away when I had last cracked a whip were still fresh wounds on my pride. "I-it's nothing. I was just thinking…"

_Of you poking your head out from underneath the blanket… knowing you were wearing nothing underneath…_

"B-boss! You here?" Stop it, Izumi… just stop… don't go there… "I have a friend with me!"

Moments later, I heard my boss call from the back room, "Izumi-chan? Oh, good timing, dear, your guest only just arrived."

I noticed that Anna's eyes had widened just slightly, giving way as she frowned. I took hold of her hand. Out of instinct if nothing else. "What's wrong? Nervous?"

She shook her head, walking alongside me with a tense expression. She wasn't a very good liar…

We stepped into the small parlor, a comfortable setting of two sofas facing each other with a coffee table in between and lounge chairs on either end. A lean older woman was seated in one of the chairs… the lingerie shop's owner. That leaves the girl on the sofa to be…

"June-chan?!" In disbelief, I distantly felt myself let go of Anna and walked towards her as she stood up. We hugged, exchanging greetings.

It wasn't until Anna spoke up that I remembered where we were. "Um… so you know each other then?"

Separating from June, albeit neither reluctantly nor in surprise, I said, "Sorry, let me introduce you. Anna, this is June Kobayashi, my first roommate in college. June, this is Anna Kurauchi, an old friend I lived and worked with in middle school. Ah… this is nostalgic… What are the chances of meeting two old friends after losing contact for a couple of years in the same day?"

_And it had to be these two, of all people…_

Anna and June bowed to each other before we all sat down. I hope Anna wasn't troubled by the fact that I was sitting next to June instead of her… she seemed a little lonely on the other couch all by herself but… I glanced at June, and received a grin. I had to make sure she kept her mouth shut about our few months we had together.

Alicia, though I preferred to call her Boss, clapped her hands with a smile. "Such beautiful friends too… I wasn't sure if I should believe June-san's story about knowing you personally, but if she wasn't a random stalker, I was going to ask her to join our list of models. How about it, June-san?"

June laughed, leaning back in a way that her meaningful glance in my direction would go undetected. "Sorry, but I'm afraid I'm exclusive. I only model for my one and only."

Accepting tea as Boss dished it out, I remarked, "That reminds me! Anna-chan just told me that she was getting married so- Hm." I paused, and then laughed at myself, turning to look at Anna. "I forgot to ask when the big day was."

She mumbled a quick answer before dousing her tongue with the tea.

June smiled. "Sorry? Didn't catch that."

Anna swallowed and answered again. "Two weeks. On the 20th."

I knew my eyes widened in surprise. "That soon?!" I sighed, leaning back. I was looking forward to seeing what I could do to help too… "Then most of the preparations are already done, aren't they?"

She gave me a quizzical look, slowly nodding. At least she didn't seem tense anymore. "These next two weeks of vacation in Japan on my own is supposed to be a sort of… prolonged bachelorette party. Or, as someone else put it, my last chance at freedom before tying the knot."

June and Boss laughed, but that was because they didn't know.

Anna was looking only at me, though it was a little different than when we were both maids.

Could it be that…

The reason she was so nervous that she kept hanging up without saying anything…

The reason she had enlisted Mitsuki's help in meeting up with me…

The reason she came back to Japan so suddenly…

Was to resolve her old feelings for me?

I shook my head, breaking eye contact. It couldn't be that. That was a long, long time ago. She met and fell in love with another girl, someone who she makes happy. There's no reason why she would still…

But she's here now… that much was undeniable.

I tried to laugh it off. "If you haven't already picked one out, Yoshitaka could probably make a wedding dress for you… he can be decent when he tries."

She smiled, remembering what I was remembering, way back when.

Yoshitaka's so-called greatest treasure had been a wedding dress he'd made for me.

A flashback image of Anna in a wedding dress, prepared to run off to Holland with me, entered my mind.

Not just any memory either.

It had been right after I'd 'shown Yoshitaka how it was done'… with Anna…

_"No matter what anyone else says… I never want to leave your side."_

Blushing, I stood up. Mumbling that I had to use the restroom, I left abruptly.

I closed my eyes as I shut the one-stall bathroom door behind me. "You idiot… That's in the past… it's all in the past… And she knows I didn't mean it… I have never… I don't… I won't think of her that way. Anna-chan has finally found someone worthy of her… I can't… augh!"

I jumped as I heard a knock from the other side of the door. I hadn't realized I was talking aloud to myself until the muffled voice said, "I-zu-mi-chan… This door isn't actually that thick you know… let me in?"

June-chan…

Reluctantly, I unlocked the door and stepped off to the side. Moments later, the door opened, and she locked the door behind her. As I looked down at the tile floor, her arms slithered up my shoulders and past… pulling me closer. She purred my name again, softer but clearer than before.

I didn't respond.

"That girl… Anna-chan, was it? What was your _real_ relationship with her? I don't mean your living situation either. There aren't many things in this world that can make _you_ flee."

She already knew. Not ten minutes observing and she could already figure it out. June was a sharp one, after all. And always straight to the point. "Nothing happened…"

She kissed my cheek, and I didn't shirk it. "Nothing? You said that to your friends in college, too, didn't you? That day, after hours, when we were almost caught in the-"

I pointedly looked down. "Don't say it. Please… don't say it."

She tilted my chin up, whispering, "Then tell me, from your own lips." I closed my eyes as she kissed me. "How far did you go together?"

Thinking about how much I had led her on made my stomach churn…

I'd protected her from Yoshitaka… enough to get her to become interested in me instead.

She'd kissed me… but I was mostly asleep then.

I'd given her one of my bras… but it was just a bribe.

We'd slept together… but I had bound and gagged her first.

I'd courted her in public… but played it off as insincere.

She'd run away to find me… and the first thing I did was hit her and push her away.

The only thing we hadn't done… no, the only thing _I_ hadn't done… was be sincere about the things that I did with her.

I felt a tear on my cheek, and I pressed my face against June's collarbone, wishing time could be rewound. "June… I'm a horrible person… aren't I?"

She wiped away my tears and kissed my head. "Everybody wouldn't have fallen in love with you if you were such a horrible person, Izumi. They- no, I, for one, love you because you try so hard to stay honest… unlike other people."

That only made me cry harder. "That's why. I'm not that honest at all… no matter how hard I may have 'tried'."

She was quiet for a long time, simply stroking my hair. Then she whispered, "Izumi… forget about the past. Right now, how do you really feel? Who do you love?"

I thought about all of the people who had liked me and chased after me throughout the years. I searched in my heart for the one that resonated best with my own feelings.

The answer I found left me weak in the knees.

But she held me steady.

What I eventually told her was:

I don't know. I don't think I ever knew.

What she asked in response was:

Do you feel up to finding out?

A/N: I wonder if that was a bit too soon for a breakdown? Hmm… Oh well, so what if it's a little unrealistic. He is My Master is, by nature, rather unrealistic. Doesn't make it any less amusing.

And sorry if my throwing in more obstacles such as June represents… it's just more fun I think. .n.n.

And I was going to list what BDSM meant here, but even though I understand the concept, I'm not one-hundred percent certain what is stands for. I mean, it could be Bondage-Domination-Slave-Master… Or it could be Bondage-Dominatrix-Sadist-Masochist… or it could be a weird acronym (?) for BonDage SiMulation… cuz it's not "real" serious bondage… Or it could be that I'm overthinking this whole thing entirely and should just shut up about it…


	5. Accidents can happen a lot some days

A/N: .n.n. okay, despite the shortness of the chapters… this apparently is not going to be an extremely short story… -.-;; Oh, what to do, what to do…

And note, there are times I may have left off Izumi's –san but… blegh… it's exhausting…

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that isn't mine to own.

Ch. 5.

The next half an hour passed by slowly. I was a bit worried when June-san went to go check on Izumi-san, and even more worried when I saw the redness of Izumi-san's eyes when she returned, but I sensed that it was not something she wanted me to dwell on.

Izumi-san's Boss left us to talk while she went around making sure everything was going well in the store itself as it was still business hours.

After apparently satisfying her desire to talk to Izumi-san, June-san left us to our own devices, saying that she was going to go shop around for a souvenir and go home for the day, since she had some things to do that she'd been procrastinating long enough.

She gently, easily refused Izumi-san's offer to be given her discount. Then she whispered something in Izumi-san's ear that made the recipient blush.

June-san left soon after that.

Then it was just the two of us again.

Silence.

Then, almost suddenly, Izumi-san stood up and extended a hand to me. "Want to see my collection now? Last year, Boss set aside a corner of the store for things that I had modeled."

I felt my eyes widen. "You have that much?"

She laughed it off, tugging me up as I started to rise. "Let's look before you say anything about that."

When I did see it, I did think that. It was a collection that would have made Yoshitaka-san quite proud. I wasn't sure if I should be bothered by that or not, so I simply stepped forward from where she stopped and began looking at them more carefully.

Since I was already here, I didn't bother to stop imagining Izumi-san posing in every piece that I touched.

I did stop when I realized I was comparing how I would look in the same piece beside her.

Any scene that involved her, me, and a bed was definitely too dangerous to think about.

Kasumi… Kasumi is the one I'm marrying… not her…

"Anna-chan?"

I jerked at the call, accidentally grabbing something out of the rack. When I looked at it, I realized it was a rather good piece.

"You like that one?"

I nodded limply, using my free hand to trace the small frills, the delicate laces…

_Like the delicious curves of her body…_

I blinked hard, trying to rid myself of those thoughts. Maybe I should stop while I'm ahead… was I ever really ahead? I feel like I've been going back in time…

_Back to the sweet scent of her bed… of her… even though I knew I couldn't touch her… when she was so very close…_

I had to get out of there. There were just too many things that could set me off in this shop. No. I glanced at Izumi-san. There were too many things going through my mind when I was with her at all.

"Say… Anna-chan… I wanted to ask this before but it's kind of embarrassing…" She scratched her cheek as she looked down at the piece I'd chosen. "What are your three sizes now?"

Blood rushed to my cheeks as another unbidden thought came to mind.

_Of her measuring me personally… her arms wrapped around… so very close to…_

I tried to laugh through my sweat and told her point blank.

She seemed amazed. "You're kidding… we really are almost the exact same then?"

I smiled a little at that. "I had a bit of a growth spurt…" That was a bit of an overstatement, considering that the last time I'd told her my sizes was more than seven years ago. I'd be heartstricken if I hadn't grown since then.

She was just passing by me to reach for something behind my shoulder, but the movement left her lips right at my ear as she whispered, "I can see that. This piece is actually my favorite… but I think it might actually look better on you than me."

I turned to face her, ready to protest, but she was typing something into a calculator on the wall. What a calculator was doing there, hidden by clothing, was beyond me. Personnel only access?

She smiled at me as if she had never said anything, had never made my heart skip a mile a minute for just one second. She told me the price.

I thought it was absurd. So absurd that I forgot about the butterflies in my stomach enough to demand a recount. "That's more than half of any price we've ever paid for anything like this! And it's such good quality…"

She grinned, giving me a wink. The butterflies came back to tickle my insides. "Why do you think I said I didn't know what to do with it all? I bring in customers- I get extremely good deals. On _top_ of my paychecks."

_On top of a desk, on top of her… pulling off the lingerie little by little…_

I wanted to slam my head into a wall. At least then I wouldn't have to explain my tendency towards nose bleeds. Though then I would have to explain hitting my head against the wall in the first place. I tried to smile. "The least I can do is pay for it myself then. You're practically giving it to me as it is…"

She didn't argue, didn't insist that she pay for it "on the house". But of course she wouldn't. If she pulled favors like _that_, who knew when they would go out of business?

Though this place seemed to be flourishing… despite not being a "rush hour" period of the day…

She stopped again before we reached the register. Turning to me, I saw her blush again. She would have a stroke at this rate. Maybe she has a fever? "I almost forgot. Don't you want to try it on before you buy it? See how it looks on you."

_Only if you join me…_

_ Dammit shut up already!_

I sighed and nodded. "Where are the fitting rooms then?"

The curtain closed before I could tell what was happening. She would wait outside, keeping guard.

A chill went through me as I realized that only a thin curtain separated her from my bare body… while I was changing at least.

_I want her to see me… all of me… hiding nothing…_

The walls here were close enough to hit my head against.

I hadn't realized I'd actually hit myself until I was sprawled on the floor, still half-naked, with Izumi-san poking her head in and asking if I was alright.

Somewhere in the course of the last few hours, I think I became completely numb to embarrassment. Simply given up on hiding it.

Or rather, I should say, given up on not taking a chance. That was what these two weeks were supposed to be for, after all. To get it out of my system.

Wincing, I held my head with one hand and adjusted the about-to-be-bought lingerie piece, arranging it so that it remained snug against my skin. It fit perfectly.

I let my mind believe that this was the exact same piece that Izumi had modeled. _Indirect skinship…?_

"Anna-chan?"

Realizing I hadn't answered her, I smiled reassuringly. "I just slipped. I'm fine." But then I tried to get up… and couldn't. Nerves, perhaps?

She was still there. No, she had come in completely, despite the room being as small as it was. She bent down next to me, her hands automatically going to my head, touching me… seeing if it hurt…

It hurt that her breasts were right in front of my eyes, literally a short few inches from my face, and I couldn't pay homage to them…

_Oh if I could just give them both one little kiss each…_

All of a sudden, Izumi-san squealed, throwing herself backward and hitting her own head against the bench there.

As I licked my lips unconsciously, something deep inside me told me I might have just crossed a line without realizing it…

There was something in the way she folded her arms over her chest, hugging herself, that made me repeat, "Sorry… I slipped."

A/N: And… so ends this chapter. .n.n. Rather short still… oh wells. One step at a time… And… I didn't describe the piece because really, I'm no Natsuki. I have no real sense of what's good or not. ;) So I leave it to your imagination, because that's less work for me and more potential fun for you. :3


	6. Twosome is a couple three an eyesore

A/N: Annnnnnddd…. I'm back! .n.n. yay for good trips. So much non-ecchiness that I have to get back into gear now. .u.u. Oh what to do, who to choose… Izumi's up next!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that isn't mine to own. Be wary of the shoujo-ainess factor! .n.n. Love it or leave it. Oh, and in this chapter, there's a bit of crude higher rating stuff, but I try to keep it mostly in check.

Ch. 6.

I stared at her, more embarrassed than anything. I could have chalked it up to an accident, her nose brushing against me as she lifted her head, but the way she cowered now, as if expecting to be hit… there was no doubt about it. But being far enough away to see her cowering… I wondered what I'd been doing all these years… all the mean things… brought on by stupid instincts… that had left our relationship like this.

I had to make it up to her.

Gingerly, I stood up, brushing my skirt off as I smiled and extended a hand to her. She seemed surprised by the gesture, but slowly accepted the offer. I took one moderately long look at her, and nodded. "It looks good on you. Does it fit right?"

She seemed to have lost her voice for a moment, but she whispered, looking down at herself, "Yes. Very well."

I prepared to leave, give her some space. "Sorry for barging in like that. You're alright, aren't you?" She gave me the slightest of nods. "I'll wait outside then. Be careful, okay?"

I turned away so that she wouldn't see my guilt, when she looked up at me with such surprise, as if I could never feel concerned about her.

Was I really so cruel to her?

Our time apart was surprisingly short, though she didn't seem to rush to pay for the piece and have it packaged. I hardly had any time to think before she was beside me again. Shaking my head, I smiled, "What do you want to do now? Since you're in town and I'm free."

As we walked out the store, she gave me an inquisitive look, as if debating whether I could take whatever was on her mind. What she finally voiced was, "I haven't seen a Japanese movie for a long time. Are there any good ones in the theaters right now?"

It didn't even occur to me then that I was being swept into a dating setup. But then, much of our problems sprouted from my thoughtlessness. Playing the hostess, I earnestly considered the question. "I heard the new romance-thriller one was pretty good… Rated R for graphic scenes. Think you can stomach that?"

She smiled, as if something in the back of her mind had come up to amuse her. "If I'm with good company…"

I scratched my cheek gingerly before throwing caution to the wind and grabbing her hand before hurrying down the street. "Let's go check the times then. The complex has grown since you were last in town."

As it turned out, we were more than an hour and a half early for the next showing, so we decided to look around the nearby shops before going in to wait to be seated.

I asked her what she'd been doing since we last saw each other, and at first, she simply glazed over the timeline of events- college… met Kasumi… moved to Holland… settled down as an OL until she could find something better…

In all honesty, mine was much the same- local college during which I stayed at the mansion, got lassoed into modeling, met June…

It startled me when she softly verified, "You really aren't… closely involved with anyone?"

I thought about June, but we were just close friends and ex-roommates now. Yoshitaka was nothing more than a pain-in-the-back landlord. I smiled and shook my head. "Nope, not me. Actually, I think you're the only one I know who has plans to tie the knot. Not that that's a bad thing," I added quickly.

She laughed at that, murmuring, "Did I tell you? Kasumi was the one that 'proposed' to me."

I laughed, not out of malice, but out of a nervous jitter that made me want to believe that everything was a joke. Though… I really didn't know what I was nervous about. It was just Anna-chan after all. "What's she like? Is she a tomboy? Or…?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I mean, she does prefer casual pants rather than skirts or dresses, but on special occasions…OH! Duh. I have a picture, want to see?"

Even if I had said no, she was already looking through her purse for said picture. So I just went along with it, leaning a little closer so that I could see the wallet size picture.

My heart clenched when I focused on it, but I couldn't understand why. It felt a little like a twinge of jealousy, but surely that must have been my lonely side thinking what it must be like to have your special someone's picture in your wallet to show off to whoever wanted to see it.

It wasn't jealousy that Anna-chan had her future wife's picture in there and not mine.

That would have been ridiculously nonsensical.

Really. No sense at all.

I stood up, looking at the nearby clock tower. "We should get going if we want good seats."

She nodded, gathering her things again and catching up to me as I walked off.

Though she ended up paying for things to snack on, we ate most of it while waiting. Just before they opened the doors, I told her to pick a couple of seats for us while I bought some refills.

Having once again escaped her, I sighed heavily. I stopped and wondered why I was so relieved to be away from her, when nothing had gone seriously wrong since she came back. I mean, sure, I introduced my ex as my old friend, I had a cry in the bathroom, I touched her while she was still have undressed, I let her buy my favorite piece that I'd personally worn countless times, I'm going to the movies with someone who once swore we would get married in Holland one day…

See? Nothing happened. Nothing at all.

Maybe there _is_ something to this 'denial' thing people are always going on about.

I returned to the dimly lit theater, looking around for Anna-chan. There was a group of guys huddled around in the back, but I paid them no mind. Stupid blokes were everywhere these days. But as I walked up and down the paths, I couldn't find her. I considered calling out for her, but I wasn't sure how loud I'd have to shout for her to hear me, and I didn't want to disturb the other patrons too much. As I was passing the raucous guys in the back, however, I distinctly heard Anna-chan's voice. "If I wanted to hang out with little boys, I would have come with one. But that's not happening anytime soon, I'm sure."

She was putting on a bit of a brave front, but I could hear the slightest fear underneath the annoyance and bravado. As I took a step closer, recognizing the back of her head, I heard the head honcho say, "We're _real_ men. Those guys you've met before were just little kiddies compared to us."

"So says the one with his fly unzipped. Is that a mark of a 'real man'? Then I can do without, thanks but no thanks."

I bit back a laugh, a little part of me wanting to see how Anna handled herself these days, when alone.

The overgrown boy puffed himself up and dared to lean in, not even 'correcting' his zipper position as he breathed, "All the better to have you suck it, my dear…"

All right, that's it. If I stand by any longer, I'm going to be sick. Reaching forward, I wrapped my arms around Anna's shoulders, speaking before she could be scared enough to flip me over her shoulder like she looked like she might be ready to do to any of those guys bothering her. "Excuse me, but could you _kindly_ stop trying to force yourself on my girlfriend? I promised my officer friend I wouldn't beat up anymore people, but if I call him and the ambulance afterward, I'm sure he'll understand."

Most of the lesser guys started to back off at that. Though my mind was currently demanding against the torrent of zealous protectiveness an explanation for the use of the word 'girlfriend', but I shut it up with a claim that it was all a ruse to get them to leave us alone. Because being alone with Anna was better than having Anna alone with a bunch of rough, stupid guys.

And no, I had no explanation for what I thought Anna-chan and I would be doing 'alone'.

The main idiot wasn't about to give up without some fight or another though. I frowned when I realized his loud remarks were starting to draw attention. Perhaps the theater cops could persecute him.

I barely heard him say, "A couple of lesbians, huh? Now I _know_ neither of you have known 'the real deal' before. Come on, what's say you _both_ get in on the action then? You know it'll be ten times bet-"

I hit the side of his head with my purse. The one with a rockhard wallet. I then pulled him closer by his collar, avoiding his stinky breath, to inform him, "You're not the sharpest crayon in the box, are you? Being a lesbian does not equate to 'can't find a guy but wishes she had one'. It means _preferring_ to keep guys out the picture entirely." For the most part anyway. "Which translates to: leave us the hell alone before I arrange to have you forcibly circumcised. _Then_ we'll see just how 'manly' you are."

It seemed that that was enough to make him retreat. I've been told that up close, I had the sort of eyes that could scare anyone of lesser will to believe all of the threats I strung up, and those that didn't, soon learned that I _was_ telling the truth.

I guess he wasn't so stupid in the end after all.

As he backed away into his cronies, he stuttered, "Y-you'll pay for this one day!"

Okay, scratch that. He _was_ that stupid. Jerk.

I waited until I saw them all exit the theater and the door close behind them before looking down at Anna-chan. I smiled, as if what had just happened was nothing, offering her the popcorn I somehow hadn't spilt. "Are you all right?"

She slowly nodded, as if in a daze, as I took a seat beside her.

Worried over her silence, I asked, "Do you want to leave? That wasn't exactly a great way to start a movie… I shouldn't have left you alone like that…"

She quickly shook my head and produced a smile as she got comfortable. "No, no it's fine. Really." As the movie started, she hesitantly placed her head on my shoulder. I swear I only wrapped my arm around her waist so that she wouldn't suddenly slip and hit her head on something. I wasn't even sure if I heard her right when she whispered, "You kept your word… you're beside me now… that's all that matters…"

A/N: Ah… more fluffy oocness… How does Izumi really feel about Anna? How is Kasumi feeling all alone in Holland? Where am I going with this? Answers coming up soon! .n.n. Until then… I'll huggle you if you review!


	7. When the eyes wander, the wife shall see

A/N: eheh, the huggle was just randomness of course. .n.n;; I'm starting to lose my memory of what happened in He is my master (not everything is quite so memorable) so unless I go back and check, the flashbacks may be a little off now… oh wells.

Disclaimer: I own nothing that isn't mine to own.

Ch. 7:

As I watched the movie, I could distinctly feel the pounding of my heart. It wasn't because of the gore on the screen; Kasumi had cured me of any fear from horror flicks long ago- overexposure one might say.

No, it was the hand at my side that unconsciously tightened its grip every time something sudden happened.

Every so often, I looked up at her face, the poker face that was determined to not show any signs of fear. But I knew better. The stiffness in itself was a telltale sign. At a particularly gruesome scene, I carefully laced my opposite hand with her hand that was sure to bruise me at this rate, letting her grasp my hand instead.

I thought she might pull away, a little flustered and stubbornly quiet.

But she didn't even so much as look at me. Rather, she tightened her grip on my hand, but at the same time lessened the pressure, as if she had just become aware of how much it might be hurting me.

This wasn't the same Izumi I left behind.

Or was it?

If I really thought about it, Izumi-san was always a bit protective of me. The incident with that group of males was only a more serious portrayal of protecting me from stupid perverts like Yoshitaka-san. It was the same deal…

_'But before, she wouldn't have dared pretended we were dating in order to get out of a fight. She would have just punched them if they got too close.'_

Was it a sign of simply growing up and learning to end arguments through words before fists?

Or was it again… a sign of a suppressed desire?

I tried to look at our current positions, my head on her shoulder, our bodies close despite the theater seats, our hands laced together…

Who was to say we _didn't _look like a couple?

Certainly, friends wouldn't go so far for each other.

Did she really think we were just friends?

Or is she doing this… because she thinks this is what I want? To be shown what could have been before I get married?

That's absurd. Izumi-san isn't that kind of person.

Her heart, despite her actions, would never be so cruel.

Then to keep any other perverts away? But it didn't look like there were any others like them still in the room…

I sighed softly as I shook myself out of it, returning to the movie just as the end credits were rolling up the screen. As the lights turned back on, Izumi yawned and stretched, her arm freeing itself from me as if it had never been there to begin with.

I felt a little cold right then, but at the same time, a small voice inside me told me this was how it should be.

She smiled at me. "What did you think of the movie?"

As we stood, I returned softly, "The blood and gore was a little overdone, but the plot was interesting."

Her smile grew. "You thought so too? It wasn't scary at all, was it? Though all the screaming made my head hurt."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Maybe Mitsuki-san should have you audition for a lead role in the next horror movie. I'm sure that'd be a best seller."

Izumi blanched at the idea, and I was reassured just a little more that this was still the Izumi I knew. "No thanks. I'd rather not go putting _more_ ideas into her head."

I heard it before we even stepped outside the theater. It had started raining.

Hard.

Izumi clicked her tongue as she looked up at the dreary clouds, "Another sudden shower… we'll have to wait it out I guess…"

I looked down the road, saw an umbrella bin sharing the same overhanging as us, and then the mansion on a hill in the distance. I gestured as I suggested, "Why not just share an umbrella? The mansion isn't too far away, right?"

She opened her mouth to respond, and then closed it with a frown. Looking in the same direction, and then at me, she asked, "I forgot to ask… where did you say you were staying?"

I pointed in the opposite direction. "A hotel several blocks down that way. It's nothing much."

"A hotel for two weeks? Why? Stay at the mansion!"

I hesitated, wanting to shake my head. That place had too many memories for me to sleep there again. "That's alright. I saved up a lot of money for this trip anyway. And with the high exchange rate… I'll be fine. And I was actually thinking of walking with you to the mansion and then going back to my place…"

"Alone?!" She looked around, and then vigorous shook her head, gripping my shoulders. "I can't let you do that. What if those guys come back? They may be idiots but…"

A silence fell between us. The pattering of rain didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon.

"Then… want to stay at my place until the rain stops?"

I knew it was a bad idea. Me and my ex-crush alone in a hotel room? After what happened in the movie theater? It was just screaming trouble.

I thought for sure she would think the same-

"Have you unpacked yet?"

I stared at her and murmured slowly, "No…"

She walked over and grabbed the lone umbrella. "Then let's go. I'll help you carry it to the mansion."

Exasperated, but at a loss at what to do with her stubbornness, I could only follow. After we'd huddled under the umbrella and started walking, I muttered, "It really isn't necessary to inconvenience you or Yoshitaka-san…"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? He's away on business this week?"

I couldn't help but stare. _'Why do I get the oddest feeling that she's the housewife having an affair while the husband's away?' _"So he left you in charge of the mansion?"

"Yup."

I now saw the twinkle in her eye at the thought, the happiness she still felt every time Yoshitaka-san left her alone for a little while. No, I guess things didn't change too much after all.

But still… "Are you living alone in the mansion right now?"

She considered the question a moment while I nudged her to take the next right turn. "Well… no. Reira-chan- one of the newest maids, and Mitsuki-chan are staying there with me. But I'm sure they wouldn't mind seeing you." She grinned, happier than I had ever seen her, which was certainly something. "The three of us will be together again under the same roof, if only for a little bit."

That's what it was, wasn't it. Reliving the old times. She wants to ensnare me back into our pocket reality of middle school memories. Where Mitsuki-chan could plan out her own kidnapping with the help of the ghost of Yoshitaka-san's father. Where an alligator that acted like a perverted green Great Dane could have free range on a top-of-the-line mansion courtyard.

Where I could blindly continue loving Izumi-san no matter how much I was hurt and ignored.

_'Well she's not ignoring you _now. _Maybe there's something to the saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder."'_

The next thing I knew, we were in the lobby of my hotel. I looked down at our clothes, and realized that somewhere between strong gusts of winds and the occasional extremely harsh torrent of rain, we had arrived half soaked.

A bellboy offered us some towels.

After we had dried off enough that we weren't dripping everywhere, we headed upstairs with the help of the elevator.

It was just the two of us.

You could hear the silence bouncing off the walls.

It was disconcerting, to say the least.

I opened my door, and it seemed the click had finally snapped Izumi-san out of whatever she was thinking just then. With another smile, one that I was beginning to question the sincerity of, she asked, "How long have you been in town, Anna-chan?"

I frowned as I removed my light jacket and went looking for a change of clothes. Mansion or not, I felt colder than I probably was. "I arrived last night and slept off my jet lag until late morning. Why?"

"Have you called Kasumi yet?"

Wondering why she would concern herself, but feeling no reason to lie, I answered, "I called her when I landed. I was too tired to do anything beyond that."

There was something about the way she looked around the room as she nodded softly that made me feel like a surprise party was being planned for me right under my nose.

"Okay. You want to take a shower before we go then? We can stay here until the rain stops, but afterwards, I'm taking you straight to the mansion. Taxi would be good."

I sighed at her persistence. It's not that I didn't want to visit… but… if I went there with my things, it would be all too easy to fall into the same pattern as before. I stood up, clothes in hand. "I won't be long then."

The hot water felt unimaginably good.

I hoped I hadn't caught a cold.

As I was drying off, I heard my phone ring in the distance, and even though it was faint, I recognized the tune as the one I'd set for Kasumi. I looked around for said phone, before realizing I'd left my purse with my jacket.

And then suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Hey, Anna-chan, Kasumi's calling you."

_'I know that!'_ I started to wrap the towel around myself.

She knocked again, calling my name. The ring was almost over.

Now, there are two type of people in this world.

Those that can handle panic-type situations with a level head, and those that can't.

The latter tend to do stupid and unnecessary things.

I must admit that I'm generally guilty of being the latter.

I called through the door, "Hold on- answer it for me so she doesn't hang up?"

It took about ten seconds after I heard her say the customary, "Moshi moshi? Yes, this is Anna-chan's phone. No, I'm just a friend. This is Izumi…" that I realized that that might _not_ be what my fiancée wanted to hear when she calls from the other side of the world to hear my voice.

I wrenched open the door, only to have the action unravel the towel, which I quickly tried to keep up while using the other hand to snatch the phone away from Izumi. I gave her an apologetic look even as I closed the door almost in her face and spoke into the phone. "Kasumi?"

_"…Anna-chan? Are you all right?"_

Trying to catch my breath, I answered, "Fine. Why do you ask?"

_"You sound out of breath. Not to mention… why did Izumi pick up your phone?"_

"Ah… sorry… I told her to pick it up while I was trying to get my clothes on… actually, I'm still not even really dressed… can I call you back?"

See? I'm telling you… my life is filled with stupid instances of bad judgment.

_"Oh… okay. Well, you don't have to call back. I was just calling to see if you were having fun over there, and it seems like you are. Something came up and I have to go now anyway. But don't forget- I love you, my Anna-chan."_

I let the towel slip to the floor as her words struck a chord or two within me. That's how I know I slipped up somewhere. "I love you, too… Bye…"

The click and then the dial tone had such a combined sense of finality, I sat down on the toilet seat, staring at the wall in a daze.

Guilt trip off a cliff anyone?

A/N: And so ends lucky chapter seven. .n.n. It's not over yet!


	8. Saying it to yourself is half the fight

A/N: Contrived? But all fictional writing is contrived to a point. And if it didn't each have a purpose, it wouldn't have been put there (usually). Besides, the fun thing about HiMM is that random things really did happen with bad timing… mm.. funness.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything that isn't mine to own.

Ch. 8

The first thing I asked when Anna-chan finally joined me, dressed, phone in hand, and cursing softly, was "What's wrong?"

She only shook her head, falling face first onto her bed.

I glanced at her phone. "What did Kasumi say?"

She mumbled something, but I didn't catch it. She repeated, "It's nothing." She sighed and looked up at me pleadingly, "I'm sorry, Izumi-san… but I feel exhausted. I don't think I'm up to going to the mansion today. So could you just…?"

I frowned, leaning forward to feel her forehead. I was honestly surprised when she flinched away from my touch. For as long as I can recall, Anna-chan never did that. She always seemed so fearlessly ready to jump to the next thing…

"I'm not sick." She shook her head as she sat up. "I just… could you just let me be for a little while? Alone? It's been a long day…"

It wasn't that bad, was it? Well… she did spend her morning trying to reach me… and then we met at the café… spent time in the lingerie store… met a couple of guys in the movie theater… and with Kasumi calling… I sighed and nodded, standing up. "All right. Do you still want to come to the mansion? If not today, then tomorrow."

"I'll think about it. Not today though."

_'I had a feeling she would say that…'_ "Okay. Give me a call if you want to hang out again, won't you? I promise I won't hang up on you if you don't."

She chuckled softly, but it really did sound weary. "I'll keep that in mind."

I nodded as I shook my clothes on my body. The heater had already pretty much dried them just from waiting for Anna-chan. "Well, the sky cleared up, so I'll just get going now."

She stood up, seeing me to the door. I couldn't help but feel a sense of loss… as if we were a couple that was breaking up.

But that was absurd. She had a fiancée and I had…

…A door shut in my face.

The apartment number burned itself into my memory.

I left the hotel building behind, opting to walk without the presence of Anna-chan's luggage to bog me down.

Reflecting back on our day together, I laughed at all the small things that had happened to us, as if a stronger force were pushing us together. As if someone _wanted_ us to be together.

But if that were so, why did I meet June instead of her in college?

_'Because she had already given up on you by then.'_

But then why did she come back here, right before getting married?

_'Because she wanted to see you.'_

_  
_

I sighed up at the clouds. This made no sense whatsoever.

_'Love rarely does.'_

"I'm not in love with her!"

I blinked, and then blushed, as I looked around and noticed I had said that aloud… in front of a street full of strangers. I coughed and sped up a little.

I'm not. There's no way I could be.

_'Why not?'_

Because she's a girl, for one!

_'So is June. But you still-'_

That was nothing serious. It was just… college experimenting.

_'If you had been in the mind to experiment, Anna-chan would have been just as open to it.'_

I snorted at myself. If I had gone to Anna-chan to 'experiment' she would have put us down for marriage in Holland in ten seconds flat.

_'Do you hate the thought of marrying her so much? Just because she's a girl?'_

Well… I don't _hate_ it so much as I…

_'Would you rather marry Yoshitaka?'_

"Hell no!"

I gulped, turning up my collar as I hurried even more down the street. I had to stop doing that…

_'So you hate Anna-chan less than Yoshitaka?'_

Of course I do, Anna-chan's my friend…

_'But she's a girl. Didn't you hate her because she was a girl?'_

But Yoshitaka's not even a _guy. _He's more like a… a… swine with pearl ears!

_'But you still insist on being with him. Does that make you a rich farmer?'_

I scoffed at the idea of being rich. He will never give me anything that will make me feel anything but dirty, let alone rich.

_'How does Anna-chan make you feel then? On a normal basis?'_

Dependable… like if I came home to her she would pounce on me without fail…

_'You want her devotion?'_

I startled myself out of it when I realized I was already at the mansion gate. My mind was playing tricks on me. It won't work. She's devoted to Kasumi now.

_'But that means at one point, she was devoted to you. Do you miss that?'_

As I stepped through the door, Pochi ran up and tackled me.

As Mitsuki came running in to call Pochi off, I sighed.

It's not her devotion that I missed. She wasn't that different from Pochi here.

_'Then what is it? You told her you missed her. Why?'_

Mitsuki asked how my outing was. I just nodded and went to take a bath. Of course she would follow me.

I don't know why I missed her. I just felt kind of empty without her perkiness around.

_'What makes her perkiness different from anyone else you live with? Mitsuki? Yoshitaka? Even Pochi?'_

I undressed and poured hot water over me before starting to lather. I don't know. She was just… different.

_'Because she loved you?'_

"Nee-chan, want me to wash your back?"

I looked over my shoulder at her and laughed before nodding. "Please. I'll wash yours, too."

No… I know the others love me, too… it isn't that…

I was distinctly reminded of my conversation with June not long ago. I hadn't gotten anywhere since then.

_'Absolutely nothing that happened today made you realize your love for Anna-chan?'_

I'm not in love with her, dammit! Stop implying that I am!

_'Denial is the first step to acceptance.'_

Who decided that that was the truth in the first place?!

_'…You did.'_

…What?

"Nee-chan… are you all right? You're getting tense…"

"I'm fine… Just… stressed…"

_'You don't feel the impulse to hug her and never let go?'_

Of course not. She's just a friend.

_'Then why didn't you let her go during the movie?'_

I… what?

_'You don't remember watching the actors on the screen kiss… imagining that it was you and Anna-chan up there?'_

I never did any such thing! I…

_'That's why you were so stiff… and you refused to look at her the whole time… wasn't it.'_

That was because I was paying attention to the movie! The plot!

_'Then what _was_ the plot of the story?'_

Um… Uh… there were monsters… and chainsaws… and a lot of blood…

_'And messy kisses…'_

I wasn't paying attention to that part!

_'Only because your dreams are so vivid that you didn't need to pay the movie much mind.'_

Shut up! Shut up! That's _not_ what happened!

Deaf to Mitsuki's shouts, I ran and dived headfirst into the hot bath.

_'Why are you so scared of your own feelings? No one will fault you for having them…'_

I shivered even as I soaked in the hot water.

I remembered June's question. _"Who do you love?"_

_'What makes Anna-chan so different from the others that love you?'_

As I felt Mitsuki's hand on my shoulder, asking why I bolted like that, I sincerely felt like I wanted to cry.

Resting my exhausted head on Mitsuki's shoulder, I finally put an answer to everyone's questions.

"Because… back then… she was the only one I hated myself for loving like I did."

A/N: This chapter's a little shorter, but I wanted to end it here. .n.n. Another theory on why Izumi always hit Anna even though she indulged in Anna's desires far more than any of Yoshitaka's (aside from the dressing up deal) Ah… repressed desires.. can't live with 'em, can't remember life without 'em…


	9. Mistress 9 Strikes Back!

A/N: .n.n. The denial-acceptance line is something I say IRL all the time- it's great fun and an almost surefire silencer on denials- but there's a real 5-point list of grieving that has denial as the first step that leads to acceptance. And… I'm rambling. Weheeee….

And yay for buying things! Though I've never finished the first manga version (you can watch all the anime version on so even my twisting may be different in the manga version. N.n.

Fluff? You say to me fluff? Define thine fluff and we shall see. For now, there's at least one big hurdle before anything to happen.

And I command thee to RETURN oh great subconscious thought process! .c.c.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine to own.

Ch.9

I stabbed the last number for the hundredth time and then listened to the phone ring twice, and then a click, and the voice machine again. _"Hello, this is Kasumi's cell. The battery died on me again, so try again tomorrow! Or you can leave a message! Bye!"_

Sighing, I hung up, already having left three messages still unanswered. Rolling onto my back, I murmured, "Why won't you let me apologize, Kasumi…?"

_'Why should you have to apologize? You're doing just what she said…'_

No I'm not. I'm too scared what she thinks of me to do anything anymore.

_'Who?__ Kasumi? Or Izumi?'_

Both.

_'What happened to that passion from your younger years? Has the thought of marriage already dried you up to a prune?'_

I stopped and pulled a pillow over my head. I can't… I can't _cheat_ on Kasumi… I already feel awful at the very thought of it.

_'Then go home.'_

I… I can't do that either. I feel like I'd be running away.

_'Didn't you run away to __Holland__ before?'_

…Yes. I don't want to do that again.

_'Why not?__ Don't you remember what made you run away in the first place?'_

Izumi… No, I met Kasumi here and we ran away so we could be together.

_'You didn't run away so you wouldn't be hurt by Izumi anymore?'_

I've… I've already given up on her.

_'Then why did you take Kasumi's offer to come back?'_

I… wanted to see my old friends again.

_'Then why haven't you seen anyone else but Izumi?'_

Because… why are you asking me this? You already know…

_'Because you know it… but you've lost your ability to admit it to yourself.'_

I've only been here a day. That's not long enough…

_'Long enough to what?__ Burn Izumi into your memory?'_

To… to see anyone else.

_'Why do you set her as a priority? Is it just because she's the reason Kasumi sent you here for?'_

No… Izumi is just… Izumi.

_'Not Izumi-san?'_

I blinked and frowned, wondering when I had stopped adding a suffix to her name. "That doesn't mean anything."

_'You rarely even call Kasumi without a suffix. Is Izumi closer to an equal to you than your wife-to-be?'_

No! I mean… I love Kasumi… and I do consider her as an equal…

_'But you love Izumi more, don't you?'_

Maybe… when I was younger. But not now. Not anymore.

_'Did you ever fly to the other side of the world to have even the slightest chance with Kasumi?'_

No… but that's because we've always been together since we met! We never had to…

_'When you were little and dreamed of getting married, did you think of it as always being Siamese Twins, stuck at the hip for all eternity?'_

Yes…

_'When you were little, you wanted Izumi _that_ badly? She was the first, wasn't she?'_

First dibs isn't the same when it comes to love.

_'But the first can show you what you want the most. What did you love about Izumi? Back then?'_

What did I…? She cared about me, when no one else did.

_'No one?'_

My parents were fully willing to believe I'd joined the convent, for no reason at all. They didn't need me in their home. Yoshitaka… just saw me as another dress-up doll… another maid for his perverted setup. Mitsuki was nice… but she had no real reason to care for me.

_'Didn't Izumi consider you just another girl she had to keep away from Yoshitaka? Was that _real_ caring?'_

She had her own way of showing it…

_'Ways that Kasumi can't imitate?'_

I don't want her to imitate it… she doesn't have to… she's far more open about her feelings…

_'Then you love both of them, just for different reasons?'_

I sighed, closing my eyes. Is that so wrong?

_'No… but you can't get married like this. One way or another, you have to decide.'_

How can I decide something like this? I love Kasumi for her stability… the returned affections… it comes so naturally with her… but…

_'Izumi?'_

I loved… love her because…because… I love her so blindly I don't even know why anymore.

At that moment, the phone rang. Hoping it was Kasumi, I picked it up. "Hello? Kasumi?"

I have to learn to check that Caller ID thing more often.

"_Anna-chan… there's something I want to tell you…"_

Izumi… "What is it?"

_"I… I'm a horrible friend for saying this to you… especially now… and I'm not really expecting anything to come of it afterwards…"_

"Izumi?" Why is my heart starting to beat just a little faster? As if… no… it couldn't be… not Izumi…

_"I –blip- you, Anna-chan…"_

I blinked, looking at my phone screen. _'Call waiting. Kasumi-koi' Of_ all the times… "Izumi? I'm sorry I didn't hear that…"

_"…I love –blip-"_

I sighed, biting my lip. It couldn't go on like this. "This is really bad timing… Kasumi is on the other line. Can I…?"

_"Oh. No it's okay. I'll just-"_

"Stay on the line! Please, I just… hold on, okay?" I quickly flipped the lines and spoke to Kasumi. "Kasumi? Good, you finally answered…"

_"I told you I had something else I needed to do, Anna-chan… you didn't have to call me ten billion times…"_

"Kasumi, I- I'm really really sorry about what happened this afternoon."

_"Why? Did something actually happen? If I know you… you were in the shower, weren't you?"_

"How did you…?"

_"You're impossibly easy to figure out, Anna-chan. You don't think I noticed that you're more prone to saying reckless statements after you've had your hot shower at the end of a long day?"_

"Oh…" Did I have a habit like that? She'd never pointed it out to me before… "Then why did you sound so hurt?"

_"You couldn't tell? I miss you, Anna-chan. I was just thinking of how I won't be able to share a shower with you for 12 more days…"_

I suddenly felt incredibly stupid. And guilty. "Kasumi… tell me… what did you want to happen… by me coming back here?"

_"… Have you come to a decision?"_

It's probably not one you'll like… "With the way I feel right now…" I closed my eyes and bit the bullet. "Kasumi… I can't marry you."

The silence stretched for so long, I almost thought she had hung up on me again. _"Because you still love her?__ Or because you'd rather marry her?"_

"Kasumi, I-"

_"Don't lie, Anna-chan. Not to me, not to yourself."_

I sighed. "She just told me she loved me, Kasumi. How can I ignore that?"

_"I never said you had to. But can you stand to be hurt again?"_

"I… Now that I know I have more than a chance… I think I have enough strength to believe I won't be hurt again. Not the same way at least."

Kasumi sighed. _"Anna-chan… I can't keep it in any longer. You have butterfingers."_

"What?"

_"Check your screen. Izumi-san, you can hear me, can't you."_

That startled me more than anything. I looked at my phone. _Conference Calling…_ I cursed.

Izumi coughed. _–"Sorry for eavesdropping…"-_

Staring into space, I whispered, "You heard all that?"

_-"Well… yeah…"-_

Kasumi still seemed rather nonplussed by it all. _"Saves you time, Anna-chan. Let me just ask one thing first, though. Izumi-san… what do you want from Anna-chan? I'm not talking about your past together- the here and now."_

I remained silent, listening for all that I could bear to hear.

_-"I… I love Anna. I didn't want to admit it for a long time… but lately… I've been thinking… and now I know it's true. If I had said it before she met you… I'm sure… no… back then, I was too stupid to know what I wanted… but now… Kasumi-san… I don't want to steal your fiancée away from you by any means, but… I'm strong enough to let go of my denial so that Anna doesn't have to deal with the backlash anymore."-_

Silence.

_"You say you don't want to… but Izumi-san… I think you already have. I always wondered why the person I loved had that soulless look in her eyes every so often… but now I know. Before she left __Japan__, she entrusted her heart and her soul to you. It only makes sense that now her body has returned to you…" _A pause. _"Anna-chan."_

I jumped to attention. "Yes?"

_"I'll handle calling off the wedding. I knew you would go one of two ways when you went to __Japan__; I had only hoped you wouldn't choose this one. But I prepared myself for it, so don't feel guilty. I just want you to be happy, Anna-chan. Send me a picture of when your body and soul are completely reunited, all right?"_

"Kasumi-"

_"Izumi-san… consider these next two weeks a trial period. Start on a new slate, and pretend I never existed. If you still feel the same two weeks from now, I'll entrust Anna-chan's happiness completely to you. Well, you both. Just call the day of, won't you?"_

I frowned, guiltier than ever. "But Kasumi, our wedding date was set for-"

_"I know, Anna-chan. It's fine. I can think of no greater birthday gift than to know that you've finally found your happiness. Even if it's not with me."_

_ -"Kasumi-san…"-_

_ "I sincerely wish you two the best of luck. I should get to work now… It's only my lunch break."_

"Kasumi… I'm sorry…"

_"Stop apologizing. Just say 'Bye, Kasumi, have fun at work'… like you always do."_

… "Bye Kasumi. Have… have fun at work."

_"Bye, Anna-chan. Izumi-san."_

With that, Kasumi severed the line between herself and the other two girls.

A/N: Ah… so ends chapter nine… is it over? Oh come now, I haven't even gotten to the _fun _part yet! Still more to go!


	10. Never wear white before splashing around

A/N: Hmm… well… in that case… I'll just move on and you can tell me whether it's fluffy or not. .n.n. Izumi's turn!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine to own.

Ch. 10

"Izumi-san."

I looked up, blushed, and looked away. "H-hey."

Mitsuki looked between us and grinned. In a loud voice she announced, "Well then! I'm going to go outside and feed Pochi. Come on, Reira-chan, you come, too!"

I stared at her retreating back, horrified. _'That little conniving…'_ In two minutes flat, my younger sister had managed to drag the still working Reira-chan outside, the door closing with finality.

Anna sat down on the couch, on the opposite end that I was. I glanced over, and noticed she was blushing a little too.

"So…" I gulped. "About yesterday…"

She tried to laugh nervously, and couldn't even get that out right. "Kasumi… has always been rather decisive…"

"She… She would have been good for you."

Anna continued to look down at her lap. "She'll be good for anyone."

It was hard to argue with that.

The silence grew.

Anna-chan cleared her throat. "So, um, what do you want to do today?"

"Y-you're the visitor. You can choose."

"But you're the 'hostess'. I don't know any of the… new things to do around here."

"You should have visited more often then."

"Um… yeah. Sorry."

"Kasumi was right." She looked up at me, and I attempted a humored smile. "You apologize too much."

"Ah, sor- I mean… she's right about a lot of things. She rarely misunderstands."

"Yeah… I figured. I mean… with the shower thing and all… I know I would have assumed the worst."

Anna laughed nervously. "Well, the 'worst' happened anyway, right?"

I blushed more and tightened my grip on my skirt. "Yeah… I guess it did."

More silence.

Taking a deep, calming breath, I stood up, turning to her only when I could do so with a smile. "Well, no use just sitting here dwelling on it, right? Let's… um…oh, okay, how about we alternate picking things to do? Today's Sunday so… I'm free all day."

Anna stood up as well, and I had to fight back the urge to retreat. "That sounds good. And if we started from yesterday… We met at the café, you chose the lingerie shop, I chose the movie, hum… I chose my place and then you chose to meet here… I guess to be fair, it would be your turn to choose."

I cursed, not having thought of anything yet. I'd been hoping the dice had fallen on her. Well, fine. I said I wanted to make up the past incidents to her, so I guess I would just have find ways to do it in stride. I already made up for the bra-throwing incident, giving her my favorite piece of lingerie. Now…

I walked over to the window, verifying that it looked like a good day. "Let's take a walk around the mansion grounds. Did you bring a camera?"

"A camera?" The nervous anxiety seemed to break at that, and a slow, genuine smile sprouted onto her face. "I did, actually."

I turned and smiled at her again, taking her hand as we headed for the door. "Come on then, let's see how long I last before I fall into that infernal river/creek again."

My record was apparently twenty seconds, because almost as soon as I neared the river, Pochi got away from Mitsuki and tackled me… straight into the water. At least I managed to let go of Anna-chan first, so she wouldn't share the same fate.

"Stupid Pochi…" I sighed, even as I pet his reptilian hand. I found that the more I stopped running, the more content he was to be obedient after he had chomped on me once.

I was surprised when I saw a flash of a camera. Looking up at Anna-chan, I was doubly surprised when she handed the camera to Mitsuki and set down her purse before joining me in the water.

I was 24, a perfectly well aged adult… but I squealed when she squirted water into my face. For once, I was glad that Yoshitaka was rich, and somehow managed to keep this creek well purified.

As I launched a counterattack, hardly even noticing the second camera flash, I felt a more natural smile appear on my face, a reflection of Anna's.

"Come on, Pochi, help me out!" I stared as Anna enlisted Pochi's help. "The more soaked she gets, the more see-through her clothes get!"

"H-h-hey!! Wait a min-" I shielded my face with my arms as Pochi eagerly turned and whacked the water with his tail, sending a torrent of water onto me. "No fair!"

Anna giggled, that is, until I unleashed a large counterstrike. I may not have a tail, but I wasn't about to lose out on a swimming bout.

That said, about half an hour later I'd sneezed for about the third time. She called off Pochi when I finally surrendered. As she helped me out, our wet bodies disturbingly close with our clothes positively soaked to the bone, she whispered into my ear, "You know what this means, don't you?"

I looked at her warily. "What?"

As Reira offered us dry towels and a new set of clothes (probably at Mitsuki's instruction), Anna answered, "I choose the penalty. Since you lost."

"We never agreed on that!" Flustered, I pulled away a little so I could accept the towel. It felt cold despite the warm sun after all.

"Sure we did." Anna grinned as she also started to dry off. "Back inside, remember? It's my turn after all."

"That's not fair! I said take a walk around the grounds! We only made it to the creek!"

She blinked at me. "Izumi… you really didn't notice?"

"N-notice what?" I hated it when someone else noticed something I didn't.

Mitsuki informed me, "You ended up swimming along the creek all the way around the mansion, Nee-chan."

I was at a loss for words. Finally, remembering my private oath to make it up to her, I took a deep breath and released it with a tentative smile. "What do you want me to do?"

"Strip in front of me."

"W-what?!" I instinctively covered my chest with my arms.

Anna laughed at my reaction, taking the bundle of clothes from Reira and nudging me towards the bridge that went over the creek. "It's not so bad. You have to strip anyway, right? To change clothes? I do too, so it's not like you'll be alone."

I frowned, not quite understanding. "If you have to do it too, then what makes it a loser's penalty?"

She hugged me from behind, and I blushed as I felt her more than ever. "Because either way, I come out the winner."

As we stopped at the bridge, I frowned. "Out here? In the open?"

"What's a lingerie model so afraid of? See, Pochi's all the way over there with Reira and Mitsuki-chan."

I felt the overwhelming sense of being tricked into lowering my guard. It happened anyway.

I sighed, plopping down cross-legged on the wood. "Oh all right… But grope me and you're dead, got it?"

Anna chuckled. "For now…"

I looked at her, calmly drying out her hair, though her eyes were casually focused on me. She seemed to understand that I was still embarrassed, going into uncharted territory, but was willing to nudge our relationship along little by little.

Well, okay, this wasn't exactly 'little'… it was more like… service. I sighed, starting to unbutton my damp blouse. Why I hadn't thought to change before leaving the mansion is beyond me… You would think all those years of doing the laundry would have taught me that nice clothes and outdoor walks never computed correctly.

I placed the towel over my shoulders like a cloak when I was down to my bra. I glanced over at her, nervous, and stopped cold in my tracks.

She was mirroring me. She was down to her bra, too, at least on the top half. She grinned innocently at me, one hand twisted back, ready to unfasten at my whim.

I blushed.

And looked around, making sure no one else was looking. When I looked back, I swear Anna had somehow scooted closer.

Licking my lips nervously, I quickly unfastened, only to tighten the towel around me. With the intensity that Anna seemed to be watching me, however, I'm sure she got in a good look anyway.

I was able to after all.

I dried off my top half as much as I could, sure that my face was beet red from being nude underneath a single towel. I grabbed the new bikini top Mitsuki had set out for me.

I blushed more when I realized that Anna was also putting on one of mine.

My heart had never beaten so quickly before. Not even in the days of Alicia teaching me my sadistic side.

Was it because we were outside?

Or because Anna was watching me.

Or was it because of that smile she had on as she slipped on a light tank top?

I shook my head, drying my hair and neck a little more before donning the blue-jeans half-jacket.

Now for the bottom half… I dried from the knees down, if only to stall for time.

Then… it wasn't until Anna had grinned victoriously after I had shed the skirt and wet panties to put on the new ones that I realized what she had.

Well, I realized it when she mimicked me one last time.

Towel covering over the top didn't really do much with your knees bent… and the voyeur sitting right in front of you.

I fell forward, exhausted, as I finally allowed myself to throw aside the towel. She caught me with her chest, her arms folded around me.

There was something overwhelmingly soft about her manner and actions as she bent down and kissed my forehead and whispered…

"Thank you."

And for the first time, I truly acknowledged outloud, "No. Thank _you_."

For loving me… and encouraging me… and never making me feel alone in a crowded world.

A/N: Wheee! Ch. 10 done. .n.n. Surprisingly little time passed… oh wells. .n.n. I am at a loss to think of what else can be done without going too far too fast that would still make sense here… suggestions?


	11. Sweet dreams give birth to sweet morning

A/N: Okay, I actually wrote this chapter before I got the latest reviews so... yeah. I'd like to think of the random ecchiness as the ice breaker- something they're used to in order to get things into motion. Mmkay, time for a time skip! .n.n. See how things developed… Anna-chan, here we go!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine to own.

Ch. 11

A week has passed since I've come here, and honestly, I don't think I could be much happier to be exhausted to the bone. Izumi has been… has been…

Well, let's just say she's been very good to me.

I almost feel guilty for indulging.

Almost.

Somewhere in between playing Twister with her and the other girls, having watermelon on the porch, going to a public beach only to protect each other from the flocks of random single guys...

She'd stolen my heart again and again.

It must be that smile.

"Anna-chan…"

I fought back a giggle as she twirled a thin lock of my hair, tickling my cheek with it every so often. "Mm?"

I looked into her eyes, and lost myself in her soft expression, her eyes telling she felt very relaxed… and had no real intention of getting up.

"It's my turn… right?"

I nodded, though I neither remembered nor cared anymore. It was like I told her that day… a day that seemed so recent, as if it were just yesterday.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

"Right now?"

"Mmhmm."

"I was just thinking of how cute you look when you're starting to get sleepy."

"It's not my fault I stayed up so long…"

"It wasn't mine either, at least not _tonight._" I smiled as I leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

She wrinkled her nose a little and smiled, her eyes drifting closed. I still reveled in how little she minded the things that I did now. But then, denial only gets stronger with the strength of emotion that it protects… so once one stops denying…

"Izumi?"

"I want to thank you again."

"For what?"

"For letting me stay here, with you, instead of at the mansion after Yoshitaka and them got back."

"They weren't that bad…" I bit my lip slightly as I smiled, lightly engaging her idle hand into play mode. "I'm still surprised Mitsuki didn't join their drinking party."

"I'm still appalled that they got those minors all drunk silly."

"Aren't you glad your sister didn't get drunk?"

Izumi smiled a little as she finally lashed out and grabbed my hand in hers, constricting it before adjusting so she could rub her thumb over the back of my hand. "Karen just had to come visiting then…"

"Now that I think on it…" I frowned, though I was too tired to object more seriously. "Should we have left as early as we did? What if…?"

"Mitsuki likes her fun, but she and Pochi combined can keep a leash on Yoshitaka."

"Then why didn't you join them sleeping there?"

"I wanted… to sleep without their loud drunken snores. Just with you…"

"Are you going to tie me up again?" I couldn't help but tease, even though this wasn't the first night we had slept in the same bed. Without fear of what the other would do in our sleep.

"Only if you want me to… but…" She scooted closer, letting go of my hand to draw my body closer to hers in a loose embrace. "You make a good… pillow this way."

Giggling softly, I snuggled closer to her on my own account. "So do you."

We let the silence blanket us for several minutes. Not out of awkwardness, but of comfortable companionship.

I had closed my eyes, expecting that she just wanted to sleep now.

And then I felt her lips on mine.

Soft, just a brush, as if she had lunged but hadn't quite made it to the other side. My lips felt lonely without hers. So I chased them before they could retreat completely.

She whined softly, not in an unhappy way, but a it-didn't-work-out-the-way-I-wanted way.

I opened my eyes and in the dim light of the closed-blind window, I saw her pout.

Ten years can change a person so much.

Or maybe it was just the situation at hand.

I leaned a little closer, and then closed my eyes again.

My guard was almost completely down again when her lips made full contact with mine.

She even wiggled her tongue a little.

She's so cute.

Obliging her, I opened my mouth a little, accepting her and giving a little back.

She started that soft little whimper again. What now? I stopped trying to give back, and she was happy again.

She's so strange.

But still so cute.

When she stopped, she merely bent her head down so she could nuzzle my neck. Which did feel good. Even though it tickled horribly. It stopped when she had settled down to sleep again.

Silence reigned once more.

"Good night." She whispered in a soft, all too sleepy voice.

I kiss the top of her head, which was closest. "Sweet dreams."

She yawned one of those puppy yawns… mouth opens wide… but only a small yip comes out.

Can I take her home with me?

Oh wait, I already did.

Even though this hotel isn't _really_ my home…

I glanced at the clock.

1:30.

I should have let her go to sleep sooner.

Oh well. She didn't seem to mind _too_ much.

I smiled, closing my eyes.

_'Pleasant dreams… really.'_

-------Dream: A variation on sheep jumping over fences-----

The meadow was pure white, the trees decorated with a sheen of snow. I was in a large bed, an impossibly large bed, like the Seven Dwarves' beds put end to end for Snow white large.

It was very warm in that bed. The pillows were soft too. But where was Izumi?

There!

On the other side of the icy creek, the chibified Izumi crouched there, looking absolutely miserable despite her perfectly cute white bunny pajamas.

I called to her gently, telling her to jump over. She seemed nervous, as if she had had bad memories of the water, but she backed away and bounded on over, right into my arms. She was shivering in her cold, so I pressed her little body to my chest and pulled the blanket up.

"Ahnna!"

"Ahnah!"

I looked up, and on the other side of the creek, many many more Izumi-usa-chans stared appearing, wanting to share my warmth. They kept coming and coming, like 101 Dalmations.

I opened my arms wide and beckoned them over. I decided to count them as they passed.

There was already one…

Two…

Three...

Four…

The fifth one slipped off into the creek, but number three, four, and six helped five up safely.

Six…

Seven…

…

…

…

Two hundred eighty six…

Two hundred eighty seven…

There were still more… it was never ending… and that was when I knew that this was as it should be.

I would never tire of snuggling up with my Izumi-bunny.

-End Dream-

"Three hundred forty-"

I felt those lips on mine again. She was getting good at this surprise attack thing. Did she want me to scream? She would have to do much more than just kiss me to hear me scream…

But that was surely for another day.

"Good morning." I smiled at her.

"It's afternoon."

As I sat up, looking around, I sighed. So it was.

She squeezed me tight, as if she never wanted to let go.

And then she let go.

But I still loved her.

"Anna-chan…"

"What do you want for lunch? Your turn, remember?"

"Was it?" I had such a nice dream, I feel like I already had a turn… "Room service?"

She pouted cutely again.

It was too early in the morning to refuse it.

But I didn't know what I was refusing, so I had to ask first. "What did you have in mind?"

"I wanted to cook you breakfast… I've gotten better you know."

"Lunch, Izumi, lunch."

"Right, that's what I meant."

"But this is a hotel; not an apartment. We'd have to go all the way to the mansion to have a kitchen to use, and by the time we get there…"

She pouted cutely at me. _Again._

She really was getting to develop an evil side.

And I don't mean the 'Call me Queen' syndrome.

"Oh, I suppose we could work up an appetite walking and maybe get there in time to make dinner. Together."

"Together?"

I nodded. "I've gotten better too. A little."

She perked up happily. I could almost see a tail wagging behind her.

I wondered if bunnies could wag their tails. Their ears maybe.

I imagined my little Izumi-bunny wiggling her ears at me.

I almost had a heart attack from cuteness overload. I climbed out of bed. "You want to take a shower first?"

She clamped onto my arm. "Together!"

Now this was getting to be a little much, even from my little bunny.

I pulled her cheeks, wondering if she had somehow gotten drunk.

"Owwie, owwie, thah huhhhtsss!"

Or gotten hit by a thick branch when I wasn't watching.

"Izumi? Are you feeling okay?" I let go of her cheeks so she could answer.

"Annah meanie… I'm just fine!"

I didn't feel ready to believe it. She sounded like she had gotten an intake of helium.

"Gimmie water first."

I walked over to the mini-refrigerator and brought her a bottle of water from it.

She drank half of it in one go.

But when she spoke, her voice was back. Especially after a bit of coughing and throat clearing. "Happy now?"

"Were you serious about showering together?"

"Well after the creek incident…"

I smiled upon remembering 'the creek incident'. A very good day that was…

She slapped my arm, and I realized she still blushed over that day.

Which made me wonder about the showering…

"I'm just used to it, okay? After all those years of using Yoshitaka's bathhouse…"

I smiled. _This_ I might believe, especially with her blushingly guilty look. "Okay."

"Can I um, get a change of clothes too?" I watched in amusement as she wriggled around with her hands behind her back. "I… kind of left without thinking…"

"Pick whatever you like. Though I'm here on vacation, so I don't have that much either."

Minutes later, when we stepped into the freakishly small shower together, I felt like we had gone one step into the past and three steps into the future.

It had to be the future, because God knows we didn't spend our baths like _this_ when we were in middle school.

Cue image of Pochi's Godfather and Hamster mistress watching television.

A/N: There. More fluffiness. .n.n. And yes, I'm sleepy. Thus the theme. And no, yesterday, that was not what I actually had in my RL mind then. It just… happened. Ciao!


	12. I'm not just saying it anymore

A/N: whee! Just read 11 chapters of HiMM the manga. .n.n. very similar to the anime so it seems. And I won't end this abruptly (at least I hope I won't) but I'm thinking of maintaining the same shortness that HiMM has. 12 episodes, 11 chapters… mm, but we'll see, won't we?

Izumi's turn! For uber funness (and since I know I can leave all the fluffy imaginings that happened in their two weeks together up to you) I'm skipping to the Last Night before Anna is scheduled to return to Holland. (For a change of clothes if nothing else)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine to own.

Ch. 12.

I sighed for perhaps the fifteenth time that day, a complete bundle of nerves.

Tonight is my last chance to make amends.

It's now or never.

I can't let there be anymore misunderstandings between us.

I looked at the clock. 5:46.

Dammit, I got here too early. Way too early.

We agreed to meet at 6:30.

I fidgeted, knowing what I was wearing underneath my casually nice pants, shirt, blazer combo. I started to pace when I remembered who the only one I would let myself wear it, and only it, in front of…

Flowers. Dammit, I forgot to get some flowers.

Maybe that'll kill time.

But what if I take too long? What if _she_ ends up waiting for _me_?

Just for some stupid flowers?

But she might really like them…

How much money can I spare? I quickly checked. I'd already paid for the restaurant tab… and I worked out a fixed fee for the moonlit boat ride (thank God for June's smaller business ventures)… I would get everything out in the open there… and then we can go to a l-lo-loooov-

Hold on. If I gave her flowers, wouldn't she have to carry it everywhere? Wouldn't that get entirely bothersome? Especially if the flowers are expecting water…

Never mind then. I'm better off without.

Besides, I have a better gift than stupid flowers anyway.

I checked the clock again. 5:55. Dammit.

I started walking in a wide circle around the fountain, deciding to count how many times I could _slowly_ walk around before the appointed time came.

One…

Two…

Three…

BAM!

Ow…

I growled at whoever I had run into, "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"Why don't _you_ watch where you're- eh?"

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

Oh no.

The rough guys from the movie theater… it's surprising I still recognize their mugs… though it's hard to forget someone quite _that_ ugly…

Especially compared to Anna…

I slapped away his hand when he moved to touch my chin. I didn't have time for this.

Well, okay, maybe I did, but I shouldn't.

I don't want my clothes to get messed up after all.

But looking at them makes me want to beat them up so badly…

"All alone today? What happened to that chick of yours? Dump you for a guy like me?"

I rolled my eyes, but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing that I was standing around waiting for her right now. "Buzz off."

The other guys started to surround me. They could always take 'one measly girl' couldn't they? As a team anyway.

They'll never get girlfriends at this rate.

Not that I can think of any girl that would _want_ to date any of these jerks…

"Girls like you shouldn't be hanging out so late alone, you know."

"Guys like you shouldn't be hanging out so long with _me_, if they want to live another day."

They didn't back off this time. He seemed appeared to call my bluff. Even though it wasn't really a bluff.

I took my stance. "All right, you want a fight? Come and get it."

"We don't want a fight," he continued to leer at me as they all drew closer. "We just want to have some _fun_ with you. In replacement for the other day."

I spun and kicked him in the jaw. He went down.

But not for the count.

Stupid stubborn idiot.

They all charged, and I started fighting back. After all the years of enduring Yoshitaka and fending him off, I had learned to expend maximum damage on minimal energy spent.

Well, as much as could be expected, considering I never really bothered with taking classes.

Still, I was breathing hard and my clothes had gotten messed up by the time they finally turned tail and ran. Why?

Because a policeman had finally come around to check up on things.

He asked if I was the victim or the assailant.

I told him, as politely as I could, that I was whichever one wouldn't have me taken away to the police station, because I was waiting for somebody.

He asked me if I always did things like this while waiting.

I told him point blank, of course not.

He nodded, bowed a little, told me to be careful, and walked away.

Stupid almost-incompetent baka.

"Izumi…?"

I slowly spun around, and my eyes found Anna. I smiled and waved her over.

She looked worried.

I looked down at my semi-beaten up, sweaty state, and suddenly she was right next to me, a handkerchief to my brow, wiping away like a doting mother… or girlfriend. I smiled and touched her elbow, leading us over to the edge of the fountain. I felt like sitting.

"What happened?" She frowned, looking at me.

I tried to smile. "It's nothing. I just got into a little scuffle with some neighborhood wannabe yakuzas."

"Are you really all right? Did they hurt you?"

"Not too badly," I remarked, trying to be as honest as possible. "And yes, I'll be all right. Don't worry. Just… Is my hair all messed up?"

"Yes." She smiled and reached into her purse, pulling out a thin comb. Wetting said comb in the fountain water, she proceeded to neaten my hair back out. As she finished, she whispered, "I've always envied you for your hair."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why? I like you with your own natural hair."

She bit her lip, as if she wanted to comment, but eventually shook her head. Standing back up, she smiled. "Shall we go?"

I nodded, placing one hand in my pocket to check that it still had its contents, and offering her the other. Anna smiled as she took it. "Let's go then."

Fifteen minutes later, we'd found the restaurant, been seated, and received our menus.

"You know, I've been thinking this since before but…" Anna looked up at me worriedly, "This place is really expensive."

"Don't worry about it," I smiled across the table to her. "Eat as much as you want. I've been saving up a bit too much; I can afford to spend some more. Besides, it's just the two of us, right?"

She seemed hesitant, so I offered her another incentive.

"Unless you'd like to order for one and share?"

She seemed to really like that idea.

So when the waiter returned, we ordered one large main dish and a couple of assorted small dishes we wanted to try. We'd considered getting the spaghetti and meatballs, but it was a little impractical since real life wasn't like Lady and the Tramp. Not really anyway.

Still, we scooted a fair bit closer before our food arrived.

There were quite a few "say 'ah'" moments.

Not that I minded. Either giving or receiving.

Much better than unleashing an embarrassing food fight.

Or gagging over each other's cooking.

We talked and laughed and enjoyed each other's company, reliving our last two weeks together.

It's been a schweet two weeks…

I really have to buy Kasumi a thank-you birthday gift.

Anna murmured appreciatively about the surrounding nature as we walked through the park to the boat rides.

By the light of the full moon, I saw her blush a little as I stepped onto the boat and then helped her in. As I started rowing, my mouth clammed up, as if it knew what was about to happen. Or what I would try to make happen.

"Anna-"

"Izumi-"

I bit my tongue as we both looked away. I quietly told her she could go first. She didn't object.

"Izumi… I… I want to thank you for these… these last two weeks. They've meant the world to me…"

I frowned, something wasn't right. Surely she wasn't suggesting…? I stopped rowing, as we were drifting in the middle of the lake now.

"I know you're just doing it out of guilt… because of our past together… but it's okay. I don't care-"

"Stop." I crawled over to her side of the boat, careful to not make it tip over, even though it rocked a bit. "Stop it."

"Izumi…?"

I reached up and wrapped my arms around her. She quickly put her hands behind herself so we wouldn't fall over completely. I whispered into her ear. "It's not guilt. It's not… guilt."

"Izumi you don't have to-"

"No!" I took a deep calming breath, slipping a bit backwards as she lay beneath me on the floor of the boat. I smiled softly. These misunderstandings had to be cleared up. "Anna… Listen to me. It's true that I have wanted to make up the past with you… but I always want you to know… I never disliked you, Anna. Not even since the day we first met."

She didn't speak now, letting my clammed up mouth loosen freely.

"I'm sorry for hitting you in those days… it wasn't your fault. Yoshitaka just… sensitized me to being molested. Him and Pochi. I wish we had met under better circumstances, without him in the picture…" I laughed softly to myself. "Then again, it's because of him that we met and ended up living together, isn't it?"

She smiled encouragingly at me.

"I'm sorry… for leading you on in those days… it's not that I wanted to use your feelings for me… so much as… something inside me wanted to see you happy, wanted to please you, wanted to be the only one in your eyes. That side of me… convinced me to do the things I did… and then the other side cut off the initial intentions and… I just made of mess of things. I'm sorry."

I took a deep breath and continued, "I've never known how to act around you, Anna. I didn't want to give you the wrong impression, when I wasn't even completely sure of how I felt. Was it wrong to simply do nothing and accept your feelings?" I laughed a little. "Even my mom said she would approve of us if we ever got together… that made it _definitely_ seem that something was off about it… so I didn't want to touch it."

Licking my lips, I caught my breath and started again. "I don't know why you liked me. Or still like me. I'm a weak person, even if I can do manual labor like an ox if forced to. I've never known what I wanted out of life, and I'm not sure if I know even now. But… I do know this…"

I saw the moonlight reflected in her eyes as she looked up at me, and I smiled as I reached into my pocket.

"I love you, Anna. With all my heart. You aren't just my bright morning star anymore, but my other half, my soulmate. I offer to you, not just my blood, sweat, and tears, but my heart, my love, my life. No matter what anyone else may say, I don't want to just remain by your side forever anymore. Karauchi Anna…" I paused, smiling as I flipped open the box between us. "Will you marry me?"

She didn't speak for several moments, her eyes glued to the ring within the box. I was a little worried when tears started to trickle out of her eyes, but her whisper saved me. "You're not… you're not just saying it to say it this time… right?"

"I mean it, Anna, all of it."

"You aren't going to suddenly turn around blushing and say it was all a cruel… cruel trick?"

"No, Anna."

"You aren't going to ask me to get back together with Kasumi or something?"

"N-" I paused, and then smiled, shaking my head. "I wouldn't be asking you if I wasn't aware you still had a choice in the matter, Anna."

Still she hesitated, as if it was so unbelievable, even after our two week together, that I could ever do something like this 'for real'. But I waited patiently.

Her hands closed around the box. Her eyes were also closed as the tears started flowing faster. But she didn't sob. "Even after all this time… I guess it's still true. It can only be you, Izumi. If you'll have me, I would love to marry you… again and again."

"Well, let's hope it goes well the first time, all right?" I smiled teasingly as I leaned down to kiss away her tears, my hand fumbling to help her to take out the ring and put in on her finger. It fit perfectly.

Just like the two of us.

The boat was crowded, our adult bodies not having a lot of room to move, but under the moonlight… on the secluded lake… we showed God alone that we had no need for society's opinions, love hotels, or boys.

If God was watching us… the only thing I can think to tell him is… keep his eyes to himself, because Anna was mine now.

And I wouldn't let her run away this time.

I won't let myself run away either.

Because Anna finally showed me what I had been looking for, what I had always wanted.

Someone whose love for me was worth returning.

Owari

A/N: o.o OOOhhhh… I know I said I wouldn't end it suddenly but… I just felt like this was all it needed… Sorry! I will put up an epilogue as always, but I think I have to consider this the last chapter. Thank you for all your reviews! Really, much thanks. Let's hope more shoujo-ai lovers find HiMM… even though realistically, there isn't /that/ much real requited shoujo-ai in it… but then again, for a maid harem…

But! I hope you sincerely enjoyed reading this as I enjoyed writing it!


	13. Everyone deserves their happy ending

A/N: Hello again, for one last time! (For the HiMM fans at least) Say, do I get your five bucks? N.n (though, I suppose they did get soaking wet the /other/ way… meh)

Stoptazmo .com has the first 11 chapters of HiMM in English. If I had money, I might buy it but until then… free downloads I must have…

I also uploaded my favorite manga pages of Izumi and Anna onto my photobucket, and I linked it in my profile as my "website". Go check it out if you want to see the "hard" subtext I based this fic on. It includes the small panel in which Izumi's mom "approves". Hm…oh I should add the bra-fetching one too… nah… gotta leave you /some/ fun…

And thank you for your continual support! Look forward to my next anime jumping shoujo-ai fic, approximately 6 mos in the future! (basically, every time I have a long break from school) I really want to do a High School Girls (yes, that's a series) one… but have to find my inspirational mark first…

And now… The Epilogue. Written purely for your enjoyment. .n.n.

Epilogue… from Kasumi's point of view.(for added funness of course)

I sighed softly, leaning against a column as I watched the planes landing outside the airport. _'She'll be touching down soon…'_

I closed my eyes, trying to mentally check that everything was in order. Like Anna-chan told me to, I cleaned up our spare bedroom as well as the apartment in and of itself… I can't believe she's bringing Izumi back with her… but… I suppose it's for the best… it's just a visit, right? She's not actually going to drop everything and move to Holland, too? They said they had a surprise for me… I wonder what…

Maybe they've come to tell me they're getting married?

I laughed to myself. I don't know if that would really surprise me at this point though… Anna-chan certainly would have accepted if Izumi-san offered… and if Izumi-san was willing to come along then surely their relationship didn't implode…?

But if it's not that…

I straightened out of my slight slouching as I felt my phone go off. They must have landed. I looked around as I answered the call. "Anna-chan?"

_"Kasumi-chan!__ Hi! Where are you? We're just getting off the plane."_

I told her I was in the main lobby. I heard a voice in the background that I didn't recognize, but I assumed it was just another passenger on the plane walking past.

_"Meet you at baggage claim?"_

I agreed and after she reminded me which airplane she had taken, I set off to find the corresponding baggage belt.

_"We have four bags. The large one I left with, a black suitcase, a white suitcase, and a large brown bag."_

I teased, "Are you sure the white one isn't large too?"

_"No, she didn't pack that much."_

I frowned, pausing for thought. Eventually shaking my head, I stood and waited for the baggage. I'd probably have to end the call so I could haul even one of those supposedly 'large' suitcases… I hoped they wouldn't take too many breaks before getting here…

_"We're going to stop by the restroom for a bit, you don't mind, do you?"_

I sighed. "No, not at all. Just don't spend too long, okay?"

A few more words and I was allowed to slip the phone back in my pocket.

Usually, the belt doesn't start rolling for an awful long time, especially on long overseas trips, but it seemed surprisingly quick this time. Or maybe it was because I had taken notice of a girl in two ponytails, with long light-dirty-blond hair… humming softly to herself as she waited for baggage. I tried to ignore her, mind my own business, but I couldn't help but glance over at her every so often.

Once, she turned towards me, and gave me a gentle closed eye smile. I shook my head, stepping forward as the first bag appeared.

Not mine.

I kept looking, and I found the black one. I pulled at it and managed to get it to come loose. It felt heavy and yet light. As if the suitcase itself weighed a lot more than the contents. Oh well.

I set it down beside me and started looking for the next bag. Oh! Brown! Alright…

I held the handle, but it wouldn't budge. I tugged harder, and yelped as I was pulled along with the conveyer belt.

And then I felt cool, gentle hands on mine, and a voice in my ear, "Pull together?"

I could only nod limply as we both tugged and got the bag onto the ground. I looked up, ready to thank the person…

It was that girl. She smiled at me.

I was speechless, seeing her smile from such close range.

Then Anna-chan and Izumi-san arrived. I looked away from the girl to wave them over.

The last two bags were picked up and I sighed, looking at the selection. Four bags, two visitors? It didn't seem to compute. Well it did but how did Anna-chan leave with one and come back with two?

"Come on, Mitsuki-chan, let's go! You met Kasumi, right?"

I blinked, wondering who Anna-chan was referring to. I slowly followed her gaze and… found myself looking at the blond girl again. She smiled and then bowed a bit. "Nice to meet you. My name is Sawatari Mitsuki." Then she paused, as if remembering something. Switching languages, she repeated it in the local dialect, without the slightest sign of non-fluency. "I don't know if you can speak Japanese well enough."

I laughed, speaking in Japanese, "I'm a born Japanese, so please don't feel you have to speak in an unnatural language, though you speak it well, a lot better than Anna, surprisingly. My name is Sawatari Kasumi. Pleased to meet you."

Izumi piped up, "Kasumi-san, Mitsuki-chan is my little sister by a year. You don't mind if she stays with us, do you?"

"Stay…?" I looked at her again. Then I looked at the suitcases. Izumi and Anna had already claimed their bags and were ready to go. That meant… "These other two are yours?"

She smiled apologetically, "Sorry to spring this on you… surprise."

_'Surprise…? OH! _That's_ what they meant?'_ I smiled back, reaching for one of her bags. "It's okay. It's a pleasant surprise at least. Well, since you have two and I have none, I suppose it's only right that I take one… I'm glad I have a truck though… this is a lot of luggage…"

"I'll take the brown one, don't worry." She picked the bag we had both lifted out of the belt as if it were nothing. Which was surprising considering I didn't know where she was hiding that muscle… "… Is there enough room for four?"

I blinked out of my daze as we started heading to the parking lot. "Yes. It seats four anyway, sometimes five. So did you have a good trip, Anna-chan?"

Anna turned halfway to look at me and smiled. "Yes, I did actually. I'll tell you all about it once we've gotten home."

I nodded to her and then asked Mitsuki-san, "Have you ever been to Holland before?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I haven't had the chance. Thought I'd use my sister as an excuse to tag along. You really don't mind?"

"The more the merrier." I looked down at the bag she was carrying and teased, "It's so bulky. What do you have in there? An alligator?"

Her smile dropped, just for a second. "If I did, would that bother you?"

My own smile slipped, just a little, as I wondered if she was joking or not. If I recall correctly, Anna-chan had spoken several times about a certain alligator pet that was always chasing Yoshitaka-kun… It couldn't be… she didn't…?

I sighed. "I don't mind personally. As long as it doesn't try to kill me. And though our apartment is fairly lenient on pets… I think an alligator on the loose might scare a few too many neighbors…"

She laughed and nodded. "Reasonable."

The ride home was very pleasant. Mitsuki kept me company in the front while Anna-chan and Izumi-san napped in the back. I asked if she wasn't tired, and she responded that she had been smart and slept on the way over.

Our conversation was light, and I pointed out a few of the local specials as we drove along.

By the time we had arrived home, I dare say we had reached a very friendly, companionable level. Or as another might say, "We just clicked."

She took the first shower, and her sister took the next. Anna fell asleep again in the spare bedroom after dropping her things. While I was preparing tea, Mitsuki-san came up to me and asked softly, "Will you play a game with me?"

She told me what had happened between Anna-chan and Izumi-san, how Izumi-san had proposed just the other day. It took a moment to digest, but I eventually nodded, accepting it. She then began to quickly whisper into my ear the rules of the game.

I found myself feeling more and more interested in her, and the way her mind worked, the slight chill that it sent down my spine not quite unpleasant.

When she finished, she smiled and winked at me. "So will you be my partner in crime?"

I slowly walked over to her brown bag, wanting to satisfy my own curiosity first. "I don't have anything better to do, and it sounds interesting. So sure. I just unclasp this, right?"

She nodded, watching me from the kitchen entrance.

I wasn't quite sure what to think when I felt the top half of my body suddenly grow clammy, darkness surrounding me. It tickled a little too. And then I was released, and there was an alligator sitting in front of me. I looked up at Mitsuki-san. "Did I pass?"

"Most would be scared witless right about now."

Kasumi looked at the alligator who was staring right back at her. "I guess I'm not most. I've always wanted a reptilian pet… though I never expected I would be chomped by an alligator… You're very gentle though, aren't you? Pochi, right?"

The alligator grunted in a way that sounded remotely affirmative. I giggled, feeling something childishly playful rear up inside me. I gave the alligator a small peck on his snout and whispered, "I hope we can be good friends, Pochi-chan." I looked up at Pochi's owner. "All of us."

-Owari Epilogue-y.

A/N: Whee- a girl that likes Pochi almost as much as Mitsuki does… You know, I always though Pochi could use a few kisses. They have a very taming effect if given by the right person. It also occurred to me that Pochi must be extremely self-controlled to chomp on someone without having his teeth hurt them.

Ah well. What game has Mitsuki ensnared Kasumi into doing? I leave it up to your imagination. Something to do with Izumi and Anna not knowing Kasumi has been told of the new engagement and Pochi liking Kasumi.

And you know, I actually think Mitsuki has just the right amount of perfection in her to work for Kasumi. I mean, she can improv lead in a rock band (cameo thing), has her own fan club, has excellent management skills even in middle school… knows in general how to manipulate things to her own liking… .n.n. funness. She can probably teach Kasumi to cook even better too.

Ah… speculation speculation…

Oh, but what happened to Yoshitaka? He wasn't really in this story, was he? Oh wells. Hmm… let's see…

After Izumi finally let him go crazy… Alicia and that second-rate (compared to Izumi) idol girl who rides a white horse takes interest in Yoshitaka's mansion and… by joint effort they turn it into a hot springs so the girl can enjoy the profit and Yoshitaka can enjoy the girls. Also, Yoshitaka's cousin (also rich) who owns the modeling publicist (I think) company can keep an eye on Yoshitaka's newest maids… and… general mayhem shall ensue in Japan.

Eventually, I suspect Anna-chan shall move out and find a new place with Izumi-san, whether in Holland or not, I'll leave it to you. Perhaps Mitsuki shall eventually convince Kasumi to live with her somewhere where Pochi can run free… while Mitsuki makes Kasumi her new 'lingerie model client'… Though I wonder how open Holland is to that sort of thing, I have no idea.

Did I leave any other loose threads out? Hmm…Oh! June? Hmm… well, I trust her to find a good girl to settle down with in Japan. She's cool and levelheaded that way. Okay!

Again, thank you for all your reviews, and I hope you enjoyed the show. I also hope you spread the word of the shoujo-ai possibilities in HiMM, and read the manga yourself, and maybe the anime. I actually hope the US /doesn't/ do anything with it because if it were to be dubbed… I don't even want to think of it. Somehow, I feel like the US likes to kill shoujo-ai potential. You know, like how Haruka and Michiru are "cousins"? Blegh.

In any case, has been a good month or so, and I hope you don't get eaten by any alligators. Ciao!


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